Upper Carboniferous period
- noun
- /ˈʌpər ˌkɑrbəˈnɪfərəs ˈpɪrɪəd/
- Specialized
- The Upper Carboniferous period was marked by extensive tropical swamps and lush vegetation.
Examples
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Many coal beds formed during the Upper Carboniferous period are still mined today.
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Fossils from the Upper Carboniferous period provide important clues about Earth's prehistoric climate.
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The Upper Carboniferous period was characterized by lush vegetation.
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During the Upper Carboniferous period, coal deposits formed extensively.
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Fossils from the Upper Carboniferous period provide important clues about Earth's prehistoric climate.
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The Upper Carboniferous period was marked by extensive tropical swamps and lush vegetation.
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Many coal beds formed during the Upper Carboniferous period are still mined today.
Synonyms
A late part of Earth's history 310 to 280 million years ago with swamp forests that formed coal
Surface Forms
Morphology
upper + Carboniferous + period
The phrase is fully compositional: 'upper' indicates the later/higher part, 'Carboniferous' names the geological period, and 'period' denotes a time interval, so together they mean the later subdivision of the Carboniferous. This follows common naming patterns (e.g. Upper/Lower + geological period) that are cross-linguistically familiar, so a learner who knows the constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Upper Carboniferous period comes from the name Carboniferous, which points to a time when many 'coal' layers formed, and the word Upper marks the later part of that time. So the name tells us it is the later, warm, swampy age long ago when a lot of coal was made.