ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Fossil Coral Reef

Okay, so imagine you are at the beach and you see a big pile of rocks. Some of these rocks might be shaped like plants, animals, or even your favorite cartoon character. These rocks are called fossils. They are the remains of living things that lived a long time ago and have turned into rock over time.

Now, imagine that instead of a pile of rocks, you see a big structure that looks like a wall made out of many different types of rocks. This structure is called a coral reef. It's made up of tiny animals called coral that live in the ocean. Coral is a tiny creature that looks like a flower, but it's actually an animal that needs food and oxygen to survive.

Fossil coral reefs are like time capsules from the past. They are ancient coral reefs that have been preserved over time, just like how fossils are preserved. These reefs can tell us a lot about what life was like a long time ago. Fossil coral reefs are important because they give us clues about how earth and its ocean has changed over millions of years. We can study these reefs to understand our planet's history and how we can protect it for the future.