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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 archosaurian reptiles such as the dinosaurs, and of gymnosperms such as cycads, ginkgoaceae and araucarian conifers; a hot greenhouse climate; and the tectonic break-up of Pangaea.
Artist's depiction of the end-Cretaceous impact eventSince the 19th century, a significant amount of research has been conducted on the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, the mass extinction that ended the dinosaur-dominated Mesozoic Era and set the stage for the Age of Mammals, or Cenozoic Era.
The event marks the end of the Mesozoic Era and the beginning of the Cenozoic Era. [12] "Tertiary" being no longer recognized as a formal time or rock unit by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, the K-T event is now called the Cretaceous—Paleogene (or K-Pg) extinction event by many researchers.
At the end of the Cretaceous, the impact of a large body with the Earth may have been the punctuation mark at the end of a progressive decline in biodiversity during the Maastrichtian age. The result was the extinction of three-quarters of Earth's plant and animal species.
Sediments corresponding to the base of the episode show a prominent –2 to –4‰ δ 13 C excursion, indicating the release of a lightweight carbon isotope, carbon-12, into the atmosphere. [38] This excursion was first mentioned regarding carbonates in Israel, [ 6 ] and was later reported in more detail from fragments of carbonized wood in ...
Of all the phases Earth has been through, the Mesozoic Era stands out among the rest—even from off-world. Skip to main content. Sign in. Mail. 24/7 Help. For premium support please call: 800-290 ...
Now, with J.R.R. Tolkien's birthday approaching on January 8, it's time for a whole new generation of fans to discover Middle-earth. If you haven’t read the series, how I envy you! Newcomers are ...
Conodonts were a major vertebrate group which died out at the end of the Triassic. Fish did not suffer a mass extinction at the end of the Triassic. The Late Triassic in general did experience a gradual drop in actinopterygiian diversity after an evolutionary explosion in the Middle Triassic.