VIRGILIAN SERIES

major division of Late Carboniferous rocks and time in the United States (the Late Carboniferous epoch, approximately equivalent to the Pennsylvanian period, began about 320 million years ago and ended about 286 million years ago). Named for exposures studied in the region of Virgil, Kan., it is the uppermost series of the Late Carboniferous and overlies rocks of the Missourian series. In the midcontinental region of the United States, the Virgilian consists of sandstones, shales that are often variegated, thin limestones, and some coal deposits. Cyclothems, which are rhythmically repetitive stratigraphic sequences, are often evident in Virgilian strata. Three important subdivisions of the Virgilian are recognized; the lowermost Douglas group is followed by the Shawnee and Wabaunsee groups, each of which is further divided into formations.