The Early Carboniferous global rise in sea level caused shallow seas to spread across broad continental surfaces at low latitudes, resulting in widespread deposition of

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The spread of shallow seas across continental surfaces during the Early Carboniferous resulted in the deposition of crinoidal limestones, which are limestone rocks that contain a high percentage of fossilized crinoids (marine animals related to starfish and sea urchins). This is because crinoids were well adapted to life in shallow, warm seas and were abundant during the Carboniferous period. Coal deposits were also abundant during this time, but their formation is more closely tied to the accumulation and burial of plant material in swamps and wetlands. Glacial tillites are associated with periods of global cooling and the advance of continental glaciers, which did not occur during the Early Carboniferous. Black shales, on the other hand, commonly form in oxygen-poor marine environments and are often associated with periods of rapid organic matter accumulation, which also did not occur during the Early Carboniferous.

The Early Carboniferous Global Rise in Sea Level Caused Shallow