Middle Devonian Series

The Middle Devonian Series, spanning from approximately 393.3 to 382.7 million years ago, is a subdivision of the Devonian Period. This era, often called the "Age of Fishes," saw significant geological and biological developments.12

Geologically, the Middle Devonian was marked by the union of the paleocontinents Laurentia and Baltica, forming Laurussia. This continental collision led to the Caledonian orogeny, a mountain-building event that created a vast mountain chain across parts of modern-day Europe and North America. Erosion of these mountains produced terrestrial deposits like the Old Red Sandstone. Shallow seas also covered parts of Laurussia, depositing marine sediments.34

Biologically, the Middle Devonian witnessed the rise of vascular plants and the first in-place forests. Among vertebrates, jawed fishes (gnathostomes), including placoderms, became prominent. Sharklike fishes (chondrichthians) and bony fishes like lungfish, coelacanths, and rhipidistians also appeared during this time. The Middle Devonian is further divided into the Eifelian and Givetian stages.52