The Permian in West Virginia, US

Paleontology and geology

During the Permian, the Allegheny mountain-building event gave rise to the Appalachian Mountains. The erosion of these mountains resulted in abundant flood plain sediments that covered the coal-forming swamps formed during the Late Carboniferous. Fossils from these sediments include Calamites and tracks from the vertebrate Dimetrodon. Although not shown on this map, Permian rocks can be found across the western two-thirds of the state.