Frasnian

The Frasnian was one of two main stages in the Late Devonian Period. It lasted from 382.31 million years ago to 372.15 million years ago. Before this stage came the Givetian Stage, and after it came the Famennian Stage.

During the Frasnian, big reefs were growing, especially in western Canada and Australia. On land, the first forests were starting to grow. In North America, big changes were happening with the Antler orogeny, and in Europe, similar changes were part of the Variscan orogeny.

This time also matches the second half of a period called the "charcoal gap." During this time, there wasn’t enough oxygen in the air for wildfires to happen.

Name and definition

The Frasnian Stage was suggested in 1879 by a French scientist named Jules Gosselet. It became an official part of the Upper Devonian period in 1981. The name comes from a village called Frasnes-lez-Couvin, located in the area of Couvin in Belgium.