Maurice Simons, age 10, of Redondo Beach, Calif., for his question:

Who was the Carboniferous Period?

In the Carboniferous Period vast forests were carbonized, or turned to coal. We cannot give exact dales for the chapters in the earth's long history. We can only estimate to within a few million years. This is fairly accurate when you consider that our mother earth is over three billion years old. The Carboniferous Period lasted over 50 million yams. It was in full swing 2,50 million years ago,

You will not find the Carboniferous Period listed in every chart of geological history. Same experts list it as two periods, the Mississippian because its records are found in the rocks of the Mississippi basin and the Pennsylvanian, during which tha rich anthracite beds of Pennsylvania were established. Coal making an a smaller scale has gone on steadily since that limo. But the major coal beds of the world were laid down during the Carboniferous Period, roughly between 230 million and 285 million yours ago.

Even the map of North America was different in those far‑off days. There ware no western m,untains. In the Mississippian Period the Gulf of Mexico reached up the comer of the continent to join hands with the Arctic Ocean. In the Pennsylvanian Period the sees rose again. This time the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans reached across the land to join hands. Meantime, it is believed, a land bridge joined America to Europe.

The climate was wcrm and moist, perfect for fast growing vegetation. There were trees 100 fact tall, but none that we would. recognize. They were giant ferns and weird horses tails, two, three and often four feet around the stem. There were no flowers, no birds and no furry animals stalked through the primitive forests. There were, however, plenty of insects. Mouse‑sized cockrachos scuttled around end seagull -sized dragonflies zoomed through the air.

Those primitive plants and insects thrived in the marshes which bordered the flooding seas. They grew at a great rate, died and fell into the stagnant swamps. Tile bacteria which cause decay cannot live without oxygen, just as fishes cannot live without free Oxygen in the water. This free oxygen gets into moving water. Rushing streams, ocean waves, rapids and waterfalls take oxygen from contact with the air.

Stagnant water cannot do this. And the Carbrniferous plant life fell into stagnant water where there were no decay bacteria.

The forest flowers were pilau with old, wator lrged plants. Then the seas receded, leaving vast grasa of dead wood high and dry. Wind and running streams covered the old wood with new deposits. Ages of time went by and the ld forasts were buried under layers of rock and soil. Meantime, the old earth worked her magic recipe. Under prossure from above and maybe with heat, the buried vegetation was carbonized and gradually turned into black, shiny coal.