Final answer:
Carlsbad Caverns is a part of the Permian reef complex of middle to late Permian age in the Delaware Basin. The reef system was formed over 299 to 252 million years ago and is now showcased in Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Step-by-step explanation:
Carlsbad Caverns is a part of the Permian reef complex of middle to late Permian age. The reef was formed over 299 to 252 million years ago in the Delaware Basin, an inland sea in Texas and New Mexico.
The Carlsbad Caverns National Park, located in New Mexico, showcases the extensive caves and karst formations that were created by the dissolution of the underlying carbonate reef. This reef system was constructed from sponges, algae, and bryozoa, a type of lacy animal.
The Permian reef also had unique ecosystems and lithology in its different parts, such as the back reef, reef, and fore reef. Fossils found in the reef system include ammonoids, bryozoans, algae, sponges, brachiopods, gastropods, pelecypods, echinoids, fusulinids, trilobites, corals, and crinoids.