The Paleontology of North America

The Carboniferous in West Virginia, US

 map
 

See exposures in this state from the:

Quaternary
Tertiary
Cretaceous
Jurassic
Triassic
Permian
Carboniferous
Devonian
Silurian
Ordovician
Cambrian
Precambrian

Carboniferous Fossils
Fossil photos from Carboniferous in West Virginia

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Paleontology and geology

During the Early Carboniferous, sediments eroded off the Acadian Mountains in the north and east, forming large marine deltas. Later, a widespread warm, shallow sea covered West Virginia and thick limestones accumulated on the sea floor. Then as Gondwana began colliding with Laurentia, a period of mountain building (the Allegheny Orogeny) began, exposing more land to erosion and causing a return to the formation of large deltas. During the Late Carboniferous, large rivers flowing from the rising Appalachians deposited conglomerates and sandstones, and extensive coal-forming swamps formed in this wet tropical environment. These cycles of sedimentation produced alternating beds of coal, sandstone, mudstone, and freshwater limestones in the region. Brachiopods and bryozoans were abundant in the sea, while horsetail rushes and scale trees thrived in the warm, humid climate on land. This map indicates the presence of Carboniferous rocks over much of the state.

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