Geologic Time Project: Mississippian Period, Paleozoic Era by

When was the Mississippian Period?

cassidy82541 — 2018-04-19 16:46:44 UTC

The Mississippian Period, also known as the early Carboniferous Period, began 359.2 million years ago, following the Devonian Period. It ended 299 million years ago, with the start of the late Carboniferous Period, also known as the Pennsylvanian Period.

Life/Climate During the Mississippian Period

cassidy82541 — 2018-04-19 16:54:09 UTC

Climate and Vegetation

With the Mississippian Period came a tropical, humid climate. Seasons were indistinct and plants resembled those that are found in modern temperate areas. At the beginning of the time period, the waters were rich in coral, but towards the end of the period this decreased due to increased erosion. Earth saw its first primitive forests during this period, consisting of lycopods, ferns, and seed ferns. Seas were shallow and swamps were common as well.

Life

Although there were no mass extinctions during the Mississippian period, Trilobites, fish from the Devonian Period, became extinct and were replaced with more modern-looking fish fauna. Tetrapods, amphibians, birds, and marine reptiles flourished. Two other new species, synapsids and anapsids also made their first appearances during the Mississippian period. Below is a photo of a synapsid reptile.

Sources

cassidy82541 — 2018-04-19 16:57:24 UTC

1.http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/carboniferous/carboniferous.php

2. https://sercblog.si.edu/milk-before-dinosaurs-the-evolution-of-a-household-beverage/

3. https://www.encyclopedia.com/earth-and-environment/geology-and-oceanography/geology-and-oceanography/mississippian-period

4.
http://geocraft.com/WVFossils/Carboniferous_climate.html
Pictures:
1.
https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/pltec/sc356ma.jpg

2. http://www.bobainsworth.com/fossil/geological_time.gif

3. https://www.capitalotc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Synapsids.jpg

Earth: Mississippian Period vs. Today

cassidy82541 — 2018-04-23 17:36:08 UTC

During the Mississippian period, North America and all of the Eurasian continents were joined in a northern supercontinent called Laurasia. South America, India, Africa, Australia, were assembled into a southern supercontinent, known as Gondwana. Temperatures were warm (around 70 degrees F) and the atmosphere was humid. The atmosphere also contained more carbon dioxide than Earth today. Later, during the late Carboniferous period, came a decline in carbon dioxide and in increase in glaciers, leading to an ice age.

Below is a map of the Earth during the Mississippian period.

Geologic Timeline:

cassidy82541 — 2018-04-24 22:29:44 UTC