• 1Relating to or denoting the fifth period of the Palaeozoic era, between the Devonian and Permian periods.

  〔地质〕（与）石炭纪（有关）的

  Example sentencesExamples

  • The northern margin of the fold-thrust belt is composed of sedimentary sequences of Middle to Upper Devonian and Carboniferous rocks.
  • The surface structure, especially in the Zilair Nappe and the Carboniferous and Permian sediments that form the frontal structure in the west, is well constrained by field data.
  • The polarity of the postulated Carboniferous subduction at Alexander Island is unknown.
  • The Cretaceous rocks that occupy the southern part of the block between the TLF and fault A are partly overthrust by those of Carboniferous age in a SW direction.
  • Fossils of the group are mostly Cenozoic, though some Permian and Carboniferous fossils are also known.

  1. 1.1as noun The Carboniferous period or the system of rocks deposited during it.
     石炭纪，石炭系

The Carboniferous lasted from about 363 to 290 million years ago. During this time the first reptiles and seed-bearing plants appeared, and there were extensive coral reefs and coal-forming swamp forests