Coral Island

Aboriginal 6 Nations creation "myth" based on exposed fossil coral bed. This continent of prehistoric fossil coral reaches from the Florida Keys to Ontario in Canada.

North America has significant prehistoric coral reefs, but from vastly different eras: Florida's are younger, from the Pleistocene (ice age) and Holocene, forming the bedrock of the Keys like Windley Key State Park, while Ontario's are much older, Devonian (400M yrs ago) and Silurian (440M yrs ago) reefs found inland at places like Rockwood & Rock Point Provincial Parks. These fossils show how ancient marine environments shifted, leaving behind fossilized coral structures and limestone layers in both regions.

Key Differences
Age: Ontario's are vastly older (hundreds of millions of years) compared to Florida's (thousands to a million years).
Location: Ontario's are inland, exposed by erosion, while Florida's form the foundation of the Keys.
Rock Type: Florida's are often agate-replaced coral, while Ontario's are typical Paleozoic limestone.

Coral Island refers to a prehistoric fossil continent of coral, and is the foundation of "Turtle Island", creation "myth".

Coral Island by Modern Women January 7, 2026