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The Mesozoic Era [3] is the era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods.It is characterized by the dominance of gymnosperms such as cycads, ginkgoaceae and araucarian conifers, and of archosaurian reptiles such as the dinosaurs; a hot greenhouse climate; and the tectonic break-up of Pangaea.
The Mesozoic extended roughly from 10] After the vigorous convergent plate mountain-building of the late Paleozoic, Mesozoic tectonic deformation was comparatively mild. Nevertheless, the era featured the dramatic rifting of the supercontinent Pangaea.
The Triassic period was part of the Mesozoic Era, which occurred around 252 to 201 million years ago and was believed to be the "Age of Reptiles" when dinosaurs were dominant.
The crater was formed by a meteor impact less than 70 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era. Originally called Tindouf, the 3.5-kilometer wide crater has been heavily eroded since its formation; however, its circular morphology is highlighted by exposures of older sedimentary rock layers that form roughly ...
Of all the phases Earth has been through, the Mesozoic Era stands out among the rest—even from off-world. A Study Says the Mesozoic Era Is the Key to Finding the Elusive Second Earth in Space ...
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The mode of Mesozoic dinosaur body masses is between 1 and 10 metric tons (1.1 and 11.0 short tons). [139] This contrasts sharply with the average size of Cenozoic mammals, estimated by the National Museum of Natural History as about 2 to 5 kg (4.4 to 11.0 lb). [140] The sauropods were the largest and heaviest dinosaurs.
Smith and others concluded that the Late Cretaceous drop in sea levels constituted the most severe marine regression of the entire Mesozoic Era. [102] D'Hondt and others argued that an asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous would not have produced enough acid for acid rain to be a significant factor contributing to the mass extinction. [56]