The world, Early Carboniferous (Mississippian), 356 Ma, PALEOMAP Project
The world, Mississippian, 340 Ma, Global Paleogeographic Views of Earth History, NAU
North America, Early Mississippian, 345 Ma, Paleogeography and Geologic Evolution of North America, NAU
North America, Late Mississippian, 325 Ma, Paleogeography and Geologic Evolution of North America, NAU
North America in the Mississippian Sub-Period
North American Carboniferous Rocks (dark blue = Mississippian, lighter blue = Pennsylvanian)
Carboniferous, Mississipian, Wikipedia
Carboniferous, Mississippian, Palæos (several pages)
The Carboniferous, Paleontology Portal
The Carboniferous, University of California Museum of Paleontology
Geologic Time Table, Seafriends
See general sources above.
Early Carboniferous, Lower and Middle Mississippian, ~ 345 Ma, PALEOMAP project
Early Carboniferous, Late Mississippian, ~ 325 Ma, PALEOMAP project
Life in the Carboniferous, and Mississippian Life, Palæos
Life of the Carboniferous, University of California Museum of Paleontology
The Carboniferous Period: Plants Cover the Earth, Fossil-Facts-and-Finds.com
Carboniferous Fossils, Fossil Museum
Subduction in the Rheic Ocean causes western Gondwana to approach southern Euramerica. The two supercontinents will collide later in the Pennsylvanian subperiod. The Rheic Ocean becomes very narrow.
Terranes broken off northern Gondwana, such as Armorica, continue to collide with Euramerica as subduction continues. The Variscan orogeny (or Hercynian orogeny) and Acadian orogeny continue to build large mountain ranges in southern Euramerica. Rocks from these mountain building periods are found in the northern Appalachian mountains, western France, southwestern England and Ireland, Portugal and western Spain, and parts of central and southern Europe.
Vast amounts of swamp plants create organic material faster than they can decay. This creates the Mississippian bitumous coal deposits found in North America today.
Eastern Gondwana moves south (in other words, Gondwana was turning clockwise).
The Kazakhstania microcontinent, formed from a volcanic island arc, collides with the Siberia continent. The Altai Mountains in central Asia form as a result.
Northwestern Gondwana (where western Africa is today) just begins to collide with Euramerica, and the supercontinent of Pangaea starts to form. At this time, Pangaea is horseshoe shaped with the opening on the east side, like the letter C. The sea inside this open area of the supercontinent was called the Paleo-Tethys Ocean.
Large scale mountain building (orogeny) occurs as the large continents begin to collide. The Alleghenian orogeny (or Appalachian orogeny) starts to form the central and southern Appalachian mountains (including the Allegheny Mountains), and the Anti-Atlas mountains (in southern Morocco).
A volcanic island arc forms near an older subduction zone to the southwest of Euramerica (and west of the Gondwana–Euramerica collision). This will eventually collide with Pangaea in the Pennsylvanian subperiod (Ouachita orogeny).
West Hawk crater impact event, Canada.
Aorounga crater impact event, Chad, was Mississippian or later.
Gweni-Fada_crater impact event, Chad, was Mississippian or later.
Charlevoix crater impact event, Canada.
Crooked Creek impact event, Missouri.
Glaciation in Gondwana continues and sea levels begin to fall.
Minor biological extinction events occur at the end of the Mississippian, probably due to falling sea levels and climate change.
Do not get confused with the Mississippian American Indian period from 1000 – 1550 A.D.!
© 2009, Mr. Varner.
