Part of the Paleozoic Era
Devonian Period - Carboniferous Period - Permian Period
The Carboniferous Period is the fifth period of the Paleozoic Era and of the Phanerozoic Eon. The period begins at the time from which the earliest Siphonodella sulcata conodonts are known and ends at the time from which the earliest Streptognathodus isolatus conodonts are known. In North America, the Carboniferous is usually treated as two separate periods, the Mississippian and the Pennsylvanian, which are otherwise considered to be subperiods.
Two major continents, the supercontinents of Gondwana and Euramerica, existed during the Carboniferous, before merging together to form the larger supercontinent of Pangaea. The two major oceans of the period were the Panthalassic and the Paleo-Tethys. The Rheic, Ural, and Proto-Tethys oceans would close during this period.
Ferns dominated the Carboniferous landscape as parts of deep forest that covered most of the planet's land. Horse-tails, vine-like plants, scale trees, club mosses, cycads, seed ferns, and relatives of conifers were among the other abundant species of plants. The Carboniferous is best known for the giant arthropods that thrived during the period, including the giant dragonfly known as Meganeura, the giant relative of millipedes known as Arthopleura, and the giant scorpion, Pulmonoscorpius. Marine life was dominated by members of the subclass Elasmobranchii, which consists primarily of sharks and rays. Many Carboniferous shark species were vastly different from their modern relatives, especially Psammodus, the Xenacanths, and Stethacanthus. Freshwater fish were also abundant.
Amphibians had evolved during the Devonian Period that preceded the Carboniferous, but became particularly diverse during this period, with many species growing the lengths of over twenty feet. Labyrinthodonts were among the larger species of amphibians, while Lepospondyls composed much of the smaller amphibian life. Carboniferous amphibians had diversified to the point where some were entirely aquatic, while others were semi-aquatic or even fully terrestrial. The Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse halted further diversification of many amphibian lineages. The oldest sauropsid reptile, Hylonomus, evolved from amphibians during the Carboniferous, and the earliest known synapsid, Archaeothyris, also evolved during this period.
The Carboniferous is subdivided into two subperiods, each containing three epochs. The Mississippian is the older of the two subperiods, and includes: the Early Mississipian, the Middle Mississippian, and the Late Mississippian. The Pennsylvanian follows the Mississippian and includes: the Early Pennsylvanian, the Middle Pennsylvanian, and the Late Pennsylvanian.
Carboniferous Timescale:
Carboniferous Period - 358.9-298.9 MYA
-Mississippian Subperiod - 358.9-323.2 MYA
--Early Mississippian Epoch - 358.9-346.7 MYA
---Tournaisian Age - 358.9-346.7 MYA
--Middle Mississippian Epoch - 346.7-330.9 MYA
---Visean Age - 346.7-330.9 MYA
--Late Mississippian Epoch - 330.9-323.2 MYA
---Serpukhovian Age - 330.9-323.2 MYA
-Pennsylvanian Subperiod - 323.2-298.9 MYA
--Early Pennsylvanian Epoch - 323.2-314.6 MYA
---Bashkirian Age - 323.2-314.6 MYA
--Middle Pennsylvanian Epoch - 314.6-306.7 MYA
---Moscovian Age - 314.6-306.7 MYA
--Late Pennsylvanian Epoch - 306.7-298.9 MYA
---Kasimovian Age - 306.7-303.4 MYA
---Gzhelian Age - 303.4-298.9 MYA