Westphalian (stage)

System Series
(NW Europe) 		Stage
(NW Europe) 		Series
(ICS) 		Stage
(ICS) 		Age
(Ma)
Permian younger
Carboniferous Silesian Stephanian Pennsylvanian Gzhelian 298.9–303.7
Kasimovian 303.7–307.0
Westphalian Moscovian 307.0–315.2
Bashkirian 315.2–323.2
Namurian
Mississippian Serpukhovian 323.2–330.9
Dinantian Visean Visean 330.9–346.7
Tournaisian Tournaisian 346.7–358.9
Devonian older
Subdivisions of the Carboniferous system in Europe compared with the official ICS-stages (as of 2018)

The Westphalian is a regional stage or age in the regional stratigraphy of northwest Europe, with an age between roughly 315[1][2] and 307[1][3] Ma (million years ago). It is a subdivision of the Carboniferous System or Period and the regional Silesian Series. The Westphalian is named for the region of Westphalia (German: Westfalen) in western Germany where strata of this age occur. The Coal Measures of England and Wales are also largely of Westphalian age, though they also extend into the succeeding Stephanian.

The Westphalian is preceded by the Namurian Stage/Age (which corresponds to the Millstone Grit Series of Great Britain) and succeeded by the Stephanian Stage/Age (which corresponds to the uppermost part of the Coal Measures of Great Britain).

In the official geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS[1]), the Westphalian is placed within the Pennsylvanian Subsystem/Subperiod (323-299 Ma) of the Carboniferous System/Period. As a regionally defined stage, the Westphalian overlaps with official ICS stages which are in use on an international level. The Westphalian extends from the approximately the upper half of the Bashkirian Stage through the Moscovian Stage,[4] and possibly includes a small portion of the Kasimovian Stage.[5] Many older scientific sources refer to the Westphalian as an epoch or series, which are higher geological ranks than its current status.

  1. ^ a b c Cohen, K. M.; Finney, S. C.; Gibbard, P. L.; Fan, J X. (2023). "International chronostratigraphic chart". www.stratigraphy.org.
  2. ^ Opluštil, Stanislav; Laurin, Jiří; Hýlová, Lada; Jirásek, Jakub; Schmitz, Mark; Sivek, Martin (2022-05-01). "Coal-bearing fluvial cycles of the late Paleozoic tropics; astronomical control on sediment supply constrained by high-precision radioisotopic ages, Upper Silesian Basin". Earth-Science Reviews. 228: 103998. Bibcode:2022ESRv..22803998O. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.103998. ISSN 0012-8252.
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