Period · Paleozoic
Carboniferous
359–299 Ma
The Carboniferous is a period within the Paleozoic, spanning roughly 359 to 299 million years ago. Coal-swamp floras (Mazon Creek, St. Clair) and crinoid gardens; split in North America into Mississippian and Pennsylvanian.
| Rank | period· Paleobiology Database |
|---|---|
| Base | 359 Ma· Paleobiology Database |
| Top | 299 Ma· Paleobiology Database |
| Duration | 60 Myr· Paleobiology Database |
| Chart | ICS International Chronostratigraphic Chart v2023/09 (ages from Macrostrat/PBDB interval tables) |
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Carboniferous" (Time interval). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/time/carboniferous. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-carboniferous,
title = {Carboniferous},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/time/carboniferous}},
year = {2026},
note = {Time interval article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, pbdb. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.