uppermost major stratigraphic division of North American rocks of the Mississippian Period (the Mississippian began about 345,000,000 years ago and lasted about 20,000,000 years). Excellent exposures of Chesterian rocks occur in the Mississippi Valley region, where they consist of about 458 metres (1,500 feet) of alternating limestones, sandstones, and shales. The lowest unit of the series is a sandstone, which is succeeded by cyclically recurring sandstones and limestones. The sandstones contain economically important petroleum reserves, and extensive drilling has provided detailed information about the shapes of the deposits. Many of the sandstones are thought to represent channel fillings of Mississippian stream systems.