Ancient reef found in Australia's outbackArticle from: AAP

AN ancient underwater reef discovered in Australia's outback could unlock the secrets of the world's climate change history, scientists said.

September 22, 2008 04:55am

Located in South Australia's Flinders Ranges, the 650-million-year-old reef existed during a period of tropical climate between two major ice age events, scientist Jonathan Giddings said today.
"This reef is an internationally significant discovery because it provides a significant step forward in showing the extent of climate change in Earth's past and the evolution of ancient reef complexes - and it also contains fossils which may be of the earliest known primitive animals," Mr Giddings said.
"From a climate change point of view, this reef provides an important record of what was happening in the ocean 650 million years ago.
"The chemistry of the reef and other sediments forming in the ocean at the same time show the ocean was poorly mixed, and this may have had an effect on Earth's climate at that time by allowing carbon to be trapped in the ocean's depths."
Scientists will outline their discovery at the University of Melbourne on Thursday.

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24382482-911,00.html