The Carboniferous Period

V. I. Davydov, D. Korn, Mark D. Schmitz, F. M. Gradstein, O. Hammer

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

220 Scopus citations

Abstract

Only the GSSPs for the Bashkirian (base of the Pennsylvanian), Visean and Tournaisian (base of the Mississippian) have been formalized, although the latter now has complications.

The supercontinent Pangea caused major changes in ocean circulation, biogeographic differentiation, high bioprovincialism, diversification of land plants and increased continental weathering rates and storage of organic carbon as coal, strong fluctuations of atmospheric carbon doxide, significant global cooling and warming and sharp sea-level fluctuations, cyclic marine sequences, appearance of reptiles (with amniotic egg reproduction) and occupation of new (dryland) niches, extinction or decreasing role of early Paleozoic biota such as stromatoporids, tabulate corals, trilobites, ostracods, heavily armored marine fish, appearance or very rapid diversification of Foraminifera, ammonoids, freshwater pelecypods, gastropods, sharks, ray-finned fishes, and wingless insects. The Late Carboniferous-Early Permian Kiaman Superchron is the longest known period of predominantly reversed polarity.
Original languageAmerican English
Title of host publicationThe Geologic Time Scale
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012

EGS Disciplines

  • Earth Sciences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Carboniferous Period'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this