Carboniferous period: Historical Geology of the Period

The Carboniferous period was marked by vast, coal-forming swamps (see also bog) and a succession of changes in the earth's surface that, continuing into the Permian period, ended the Paleozoic era. The Carboniferous is often split into two divisions, the Mississippian and the Pennsylvanian; in the United States the break in the geologic sequence is so sharp that each division is commonly considered an independent period.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Evolution of Plant and Animal Life
• The Upper Carboniferous Period
• The Lower Carboniferous Period
• Historical Geology of the Period

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