Frasnian

peer reviewed ; The name Frasnian, which comes from the locality of Frasnes near Couvin in Belgium, was introduced by Gosselet in 1879 and was formally retained for the lower stage of the Upper Devonian by the Subcommission on Devonian Stratigraphy in 1981. The modern definition of the Frasnian is based on conodonts and the historical background of the stage is developed in detail herein. Data about the lithostratigraphy, sedimentology, biostratigraphy, chronostratigraphy and absolute age of the Frasnian can also been found in this contribution.