Palaeozoic
Representation and status
- Color CMYK
- 40 / 10 / 40 / 0
- Color RGB
- R: 153 G: 192 B: 141
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Era
- Validity
- Unit is in Use
- Status
- valid formal name
Nomenclature
- Deutsch
- Paläozoikum
- Français
- Paléozoïque
- Italiano
- Paleozoico
- English
- Palaeozoic
- Historical Variants
-
Erdaltertum, Altertum, Primario, ère Primaire
Hierarchy and sequence
- Units at roof
-
Permian (298.90 +/-0.15 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the former Perm Governorate (Russia).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Period
- Status
- valid formal name
- In short
-
The Permian is the last geochronologic period of the Paleozoic, starting with the Asselian age (at the transition from the Carboniferous period) and ending with the Changhsingian age (at the transition to the Triassic period). It is subdivided in three epochs (Cisuralian, Guadalupian and Lopingian).
-
Lopingian (259.51 +/-0.21 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the town of Leping = Loping (Jiangxi Province, China).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Epoch
- Status
- valid formal name
- Age
- Wuchiapingian
-
Guadalupian (273.01 +/-0.14 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the Guadalupe Mountains (Texas, USA).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Epoch
- Status
- valid formal name
- Age
- Roadian
-
Capitanian (264.28 +/-0.16 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the Capitan Reef in the Guadalupe Mountains (Texas, USA).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid formal name
- Age
- Capitanian
-
Wordian (266.9 +/-0.4 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the Word Formation (Word Ranch, Glass Mountains) of the North American Permian Basin.
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid formal name
- Age
- Wordien
-
Roadian (273.01 +/-0.14 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the Road Canyon Member of the Word Formation (Texas, USA).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid formal name
- Age
- Roadian
-
Cisuralian (298.9 +/-0.15 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the Cisural Mountains (western, European part of the Ural Mountains).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Epoch
- Status
- valid formal name
- Age
- Asselian
-
Kungurian (283.5 +/-0.6 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the town of Kungur (Russia), near Perm.
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid formal name
- Age
- Kungurian
-
Artinskian (290.1 +/-0.26 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the town of Artinsk = Arti (Russia), S Perm.
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid formal name
- In short
-
Stage of the Early Permian.
- Age
- Artinskien
-
Sakmarian (293.52 +/-0.17 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the Sakmara River (Russia).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid formal name
- Age
- Sakmarien
-
Asselian (298.9 +/-0.15 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the Assel River, southern Ural Mountains (Kazakhstan / Bashkortostan).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid formal name
- In short
-
First stage of the Cisuralian and hence base of the Permian.
- Age
- Asselian
-
Carboniferous (358.9 +/-0.4 Ma)
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Period
- Status
- valid formal name
- In short
-
The Carboniferous is the penultimate geochronologic period of the Paleozoic, starting with the Tournaisian age (at the transition from the Devonian period) and ending with the Gzhelian age (at the transition to the Permian period). It is subdivided in two epochs (Mississippian and Pennsylvanian).
-
Pennsylvanian (323.2 +/-0.4 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the Pennsylvania state (USA).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Epoch
- Status
- valid formal name
- In short
-
Late Carboniferous epoch.
- Age
- Bashkirien
-
Late Pennsylvanian (307.0 +/-0.1 Ma)
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Subepoch
- Status
- valid
-
Gzhelian (303.7 +/-0.1 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the village of Gzhel = Gjel (Russia), 50 km SE Moscow.
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid formal name
-
Kasimovian (307.0 +/-0.1 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the town of Kasimov (Russia).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid formal name
-
Middle Pennsylvanian (315.2 +/-0.2 Ma)
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Subepoch
- Status
- valid
-
Early Pennsylvanian (323.2 +/-0.4 Ma)
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Subepoch
- Status
- valid
-
Mississippian (358.9 +/-0.4 Ma)
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Epoch
- Status
- valid formal name
-
Devonian (419.2 +/-3.2 Ma)
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Period
- Status
- valid formal name
- In short
-
The Devonian is a geochronologic period of the Paleozoic, starting with the Lochkovian age (at the transition from the Silurian period) and ending with the Famennian age (at the transition to the Pernian period). It is subdivided in three epochs (Early, Middle and Late Devonian).
-
Late Devonien (382.7 +/-1.6 Ma)
-
Middle Devonian (393.3 +/-1.2 Ma)
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Epoch
- Status
- valid
-
Givetian (387.7 +/-0.8 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the town of Givet (Ardennes, France).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid formal name
- In short
- Second stage of the Middle Devonian, originally defined based on the Givet Limestone.
- Age
- Mittleres Devon
-
Eifelian (393.3 +/-1.2 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Named after the Eifel region (Prusse rhénane)
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Stage
- Status
- valid
- Age
- Mittleres Devon
-
Early Devonian (419.2 +/-3.2 Ma)
-
Silurian (443.8 +/-1.5 Ma)
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Period
- Status
- valid formal name
- In short
-
The Silurian is a geochronologic period of the Paleozoic, starting with the Rhuddanian age (at the transition from the Ordovician period) and ending with the Pridoli Epoch (at the transition to the Devonian period). It is subdivided in four epochs (Llandovery, Wenlock, Ludlow and Pridoli).
-
Ordovician (485.4 +/-1.9 Ma)
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Period
- Status
- valid formal name
- In short
-
The Ordovician is the second geochronologic period of the Paleozoic, starting with the Tremadocian age (at the transition from the Cambrian period) and ending with the Hirnantian age (at the transition to the Silurian period). It is subdivided in three epochs (Early, Middle and Late Ordovician).
-
Cambrian (538.8 +/-0.2 Ma)
- Name Origin
-
Derived from the Latinised form of the Welsh name Cymru (Wales).
- Rank
- chronostratigraphic Period
- Status
- valid formal name
- Nomenclatorial Remarks
- <p>From the Old Welsh combrog = compatriot.</p> <p>According to Geoffrey of Monmouth in the first part of his pseudohistory Historia Regum Britanniae, the Trojan Brutus had three sons among whom (having subdued Gogmagog) he divided his lands after landing in Britain. His elder son, Locrinus, received the land between the rivers Humber and Severn, which he called Loegria (a Latinization of the Welsh name Lloegr, "England"). His second son, Albanactus, got the lands beyond the Humber, which took from him the name of Albany (Yr Alban in Welsh: Scotland). The younger son, Camber, was bequeathed everything beyond the Severn, which was called after him "Cambria".</p>
- In short
-
The Cambrian is the first geochronologic period of the Paleozoic, starting with the Fortunian age (at the transition from the Proterozoic eon) and ending with an unnamed age of the Furongian epoch (at the transition to the Ordovician period). It is subdivided in four epochs (Terreneuvian, "Series 2", Miaolingian and Furongian).
- Age
- Cambrian