Frasnian

The Frasnian is one of two faunal stages in the Late Devonian Period. It lasted from 382.31 million years ago to 372.15 million years ago. It was before the Givetian Stage and after it came the Famennian Stage.

Big reefs were growing during the Frasnian Stage, especially in western Canada and Australia. On land, the first forests were beginning to form. In North America, the Antler orogeny was at its strongest. This happened at the same time as the Bretonic phase of the Variscan orogeny in Europe.

The Frasnian was part of the "charcoal gap" in the fossil record. During this time, there was not enough oxygen in the air to allow wildfires.

Name and definition

The Frasnian Stage was suggested in 1879 by a French scientist named Jules Gosselet. It became part of the Upper Devonian in 1981. The stage is named after the village of Frasnes-lez-Couvin in Belgium.