Choose any period or epoch from the geologic time scale (p. 90 in textbook) and
ID: 111502 • Letter: C
Question
Choose any period or epoch from the geologic time scale (p. 90 in textbook) and write a two page, double spaced report on the particular time. Please include in the report: the amount of time expanse in that period (millions/billions of years?), What was earth like during this period? Was there animals/dinosaurs/plants? Was there a mass extinction event during this time? Was there a ice age? Please be as creative as possible!
For example, the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous was known for dinosaurs. However, at the end of the Cretaceous there was a mass extinction event that caused the demise of the dinosaurs.
Also include at least three references at the end of the report. Please do not use Wikipedia as a source. Before submitting please proof-read, the report should be submitted in a Microsoft Word document.
Explanation / Answer
I will be talking about the Carboniferous Period it lasted from about 359.2 to 299 million years ago with an span of approx 60 million years, i.e., it lies in between the Devonian Period and Permian Period. Carboniferous means the coal-bearing and it’s derives its name from England as most of the coal deposited occur in that time, deposition take place in Europe, Asia midwestern and eastern North America, this has be divided into two subsystem as Mississippian and Pennsylvanian subsystem this was done to draw the lime of demarcation between the coal-bearing Pennsylvanian from the limestone bearing Mississippian. Pennsylvania and Mississippian are sub-divided into number of internationally recognized stages on the evolutionary successions of fossil groups, this includes Tournaisian, Visean and Serpukovian in Mississippian and for Pennsylvania stages includes Bashkirian, Moscovian, kasimovian and Gzhelian.
Is period was well sutable for the formation of the coal along with it major biolocial and climatic events occurred during this time period, biolocially greatest evolutionary trend has occurred, during this period certain tetrapods exploited the land, during this time the birds, mammals and reptiles layed their eggs on land without any fear of desiccation, During the late Carboniferous period is well marked by major geological events with the collision of Laurasia into the Gondwans resulting in the Appalachian Mountain belts of North America and the Hercynian Mountains in the United Kingdom, Collision of Siberia with Europe created Ural Mountians of Russia. Climatically it was mild temperatures during the Carboniferous and it’s evident by the decrease in lycopods and large insects and increase in the tree ferns.
Mississippian environment of North America was heavily marine and it’s evident by the limestone rock-type along with the remains of crinoids, lime-encrusted green algae or calcium carbonate shaped by waves, whereas in the Pennsylvania environment was alternately terrestrial and marine with the transgression and regression of the seas caused by the glaciation, this condition along with the large amount of the plant material favored the formation of the coal.
Carboniferous had a uniform, tropical and humid climate than today, this based on the comparisons between the fossil and the modern-day plant morphology, the plants of that time resemble that of the plants of tropical and mildly temperate areas of that of today, many of them were lacking growth rings which suggested uniform climate. This might be the result of large ocean that covered the globe withsome excepence for the localized section of Pangea. Shallow, warm, marine waters often flooded the continents, filter feeders such as bryozoans, particularly fenestellids were abundant in this environment and was dominated by the brachiopods. Trilobites were fewer in number with the increasing number of foraminifers were abundant, heavily armord fish were extinct and they were replaced by the modern day looking fish.
During the Mississippian there was a upliftment of the land portion with an increasing in erosion and leadig to the development of the numerous floodplains and deltas, this deltaic environment supported fewer corals, blastoids, cryozoans and bryzoans which were abundant in the carbinoferous. With the continents approching towards eachother there was an decrease in the coastline which affected the diversity of the marine life as those of the shallow continental waters. Major ice sheets locked the large amount of the water in the poles this lead to the drop in water level resulting in the increase in terrestrial habitat, there was an repatation of the glaciation and deglaciation causing an fluctuations in the sea level which is well evident on the rocks as of striped patterns as alternating shale and coal layers.
This present days location were we can find some evidence are,
Joggins- Nova Sotia, Mazon Creek- Illinois etc.