Cretaceous
Cretaceous
| Hierarchy: | Phanerozoic Mesozoic Cretaceous |
|---|---|
| Classification: | Period (as per International Commission on Stratigraphy) |
| Top: | 66.0 Ma |
| Base: | ~145.0 Ma |
| Preceeds: | Cenozoic Paleogene Paleocene Danian |
| Follows: | Jurassic Late Jurassic Tithonian |
| Primary Divisions: | Late/Upper CretaceousEarly/Lower Cretaceous |
| FGDC code: | K |
Flowering plants proliferate, along with new types of insects. More modern teleost fish begin to appear. Ammonoidea, belemnites, rudist bivalves, echinoids and sponges all common.
Many new types of dinosaurs (e.g. Tyrannosaurs, Titanosaurs, duck bills, and horned dinosaurs) evolve on land, as do Eusuchia (modern crocodilians); and mosasaurs and modern sharks appear in the sea.
Primitive birds gradually replace pterosaurs. Monotremes, marsupials and placental mammals appear.
Break up of Gondwana. Beginning of Laramide and Sevier Orogenies of the Rocky Mountains. atmospheric CO2 close to present-day levels.
Many new types of dinosaurs (e.g. Tyrannosaurs, Titanosaurs, duck bills, and horned dinosaurs) evolve on land, as do Eusuchia (modern crocodilians); and mosasaurs and modern sharks appear in the sea.
Primitive birds gradually replace pterosaurs. Monotremes, marsupials and placental mammals appear.
Break up of Gondwana. Beginning of Laramide and Sevier Orogenies of the Rocky Mountains. atmospheric CO2 close to present-day levels.
Geologic Events
| Event Name | Type | Age | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicxulub impact | Impact Event | 66 Ma | Yucatan peninsula, Mexico |
| Deccan Traps volcanism (begins) | Volcanic Activity | 66.25 - 65.5 Ma | India |
| Kara impact | Impact Event | 70.3 ± 2.2 Ma | Russia |
| Ontong Java Plateau secondary eruptions (concludes) | Volcanic Activity | ~90 Ma | South Pacific |
| Kerguelen Plateau formation (begins) | Volcanic Activity | 119 - 34 Ma | Southern Indian Ocean |
| Ontong Java Plateau primary eruptions | Volcanic Activity | 125.0 - 124.6 Ma | South-west Pacific Ocean |
| Tookoonooka impact | Impact Event | 128 ± 5 Ma | Queensland, Australia |
| Morokweng impact | Impact Event | 145.0 ± 0.8 Ma | South Africa |
| Pangaea breakup (ongoing) | Continental Breakup | 175 - 55 Ma | Global |
| Andean orogeny (ongoing) | Orogeny | Maximum Age: 200 Ma | South America |
| Laurasia supercontinent (ongoing) | Supercontinent | 215 - 55 Ma | Northern Hemisphere |
Overview of geological time
List all geological events
