Definitions for: Carboniferous

[n] from 280 million to 345 million years ago
[adj] of or relating to the Carboniferous geologic era; "carboniferous rock system"

Webster (1913) Definition: Car`bon*if"er*ous
(k[aum]r`b[o^]n*[i^]f"[~e]r*[u^]s), a. [Carbon + -ferous.]
Producing or containing carbon or coal.

Carboniferous age (Geol.), the age immediately following
the Devonian, or Age of fishes, and characterized by the
vegetation which formed the coal beds. This age embraces
three periods, the Subcarboniferous, the Carboniferous,
and Permian. See Age of acrogens, under Acrogen.

Carboniferous formation (Geol.), the series of rocks
(including sandstones, shales, limestones, and
conglomerates, with beds of coal) which make up the strata
of the Carboniferous age or period. See the Diagram under
Geology.

Synonyms: Carboniferous period

See Also: geological period, Lower Carboniferous, Lower Carboniferous period, Missippian period, Mississippian, Paleozoic, Paleozoic era, Pennsylvanian, Pennsylvanian period, period, Upper Carboniferous, Upper Carboniferous period

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