Which epoch was the Cretaceous?
648405#0
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series. The Cretaceous is named after the white limestone known as chalk which occurs widely in northern France and is seen in the white cliffs of south-eastern England, and which dates from this time.
Late Cretaceous
23743#22
The Early Cretaceous Epoch spans from 145 million to 100 million years ago. The Early Cretaceous saw the expansion of seaways, and as a result, the decline and extinction of sauropods (except in South America). Many coastal shallows were created, and that caused ichthyosaurs to die out. Mosasaurs evolved to replace them as apex species of the seas. Some island-hopping dinosaurs, like "Eustreptospondylus", evolved to cope with the coastal shallows and small islands of ancient Europe. Other dinosaurs, such as "Carcharodontosaurus" and "Spinosaurus", rose to fill the empty space that the Jurassic-Cretaceous extinction had created. Of the most successful would be the "Iguanodon" which spread to every continent. Seasons came back into effect and the poles grew seasonally colder. Dinosaurs such as the "Leaellynasaura" inhabited the polar forests year-round, while many dinosaurs, such as the "Muttaburrasaurus", migrated there during summer . Since it was too cold for crocodiles, it was the last stronghold for large amphibians, such as the "Koolasuchus". In this epoch Pterosaurs reached their maximum diversity and grew larger, as species like "Tapejara" and "Ornithocheirus" took to the skies. The first true birds evolved, possibly sparking competition between them and the pterosaurs.
Phanerozoic
23743#21
The Cretaceous is the longest period in the Mesozoic, spans from 145 million to 66 million years ago, and is divided into two epochs: Early Cretaceous, and Late Cretaceous.
Phanerozoic
23743#23
The Late Cretaceous Epoch spans from 100 million to 66 million years ago. The Late Cretaceous featured a cooling trend that would continue into the Cenozoic Era. Eventually, tropical ecology was restricted to the equator and areas beyond the tropic lines featured extreme seasonal changes of weather. Dinosaurs still thrived as new species such as "Tyrannosaurus", "Ankylosaurus", "Triceratops" and Hadrosaurs dominated the food web. Whether or not Pterosaurs went into a decline as birds radiated is debated, however many families survived until the end of the Cretaceous, alongside new species such as the gigantic "Quetzalcoatlus". Marsupials evolved within the large conifer forests as scavengers. In the oceans, Mosasaurs ruled the seas to fill the role of the ichthyosaurs, and huge plesiosaurs, such as "Elasmosaurus", evolved. Also, the first flowering plants evolved. At the end of the Cretaceous, the Deccan Traps and other volcanic eruptions were poisoning the atmosphere. As this was continued, it is thought that a large meteor smashed into Earth, creating the Chicxulub Crater creating the event known as the K-T Extinction, the fifth and most recent mass extinction event, during which 75% of life on Earth became extinct, including all non-avian dinosaurs. Every living thing with a body mass over 10 kilograms became extinct, and the age of the dinosaurs came to an end.
Phanerozoic
5615#4
The Cretaceous is divided into Early and Late Cretaceous epochs, or Lower and Upper Cretaceous series. In older literature the Cretaceous is sometimes divided into three series: Neocomian (lower/early), Gallic (middle) and Senonian (upper/late). A subdivision in eleven stages, all originating from European stratigraphy, is now used worldwide. In many parts of the world, alternative local subdivisions are still in use.
Cretaceous
3969819#36
At the peak of the Cretaceous transgression, one-third of Earth's present land area was submerged. The Berriasian epoch showed a cooling trend that had been seen in the last epoch of the Jurassic. There is evidence that snowfalls were common in the higher latitudes and the tropics became wetter than during the Triassic and Jurassic. Glaciation was however restricted to alpine glaciers on some high-latitude mountains, though seasonal snow may have existed farther south. Rafting by ice of stones into marine environments occurred during much of the Cretaceous but evidence of deposition directly from glaciers is limited to the Early Cretaceous of the Eromanga Basin in southern Australia.
Evolution of insects
4144117#1
220,000,000 BC, Late Triassic (Arizona) − This episode follows the evolution of the first dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures in the late Triassic period.152,000,000 BC, Late Jurassic (Colorado) − This episode follows the story of a young female "Diplodocus" and her brothers and sisters in the late Jurassic period.149,000,000 BC, Late Jurassic (Oxfordshire) − This episode follows the life of several baby "Ophthalmosaurus" and a bull "Liopleurodon" in the late Jurassic period.127,000,000 BC, Early Cretaceous (Brazil) − This episode follows a male "Ornithocheirus" on his long journey to the mating grounds in the early Cretaceous period.106,000,000 BC, Early Cretaceous (Antarctica) − This episode follows the hardships of an Antarctican "Leaellynasaura" clan in the early Cretaceous period.65,500,000 BC, Late Cretaceous (Montana) − This episode follows the final years of the dinosaurs and a mother "Tyrannosaurus rex" and her babies in the late Cretaceous period.49,000,000 BC, Early Eocene (Germany) − This episode follows the life of a mother "Leptictidium" and her babies in the dense forests of Germany in the early Eocene epoch.36,000,000 BC, Late Eocene (Pakistan) − This episode follows the sea journey of a pregnant female "Basilosaurus" search for food in the late Eocene epoch.25,000,000 BC, Late Oligocene (Mongolia) − This episode follows the life of a young "Paraceratherium" and his mother from his birth in the late Oligocene epoch.3,200,000 BC, Late Pliocene (Ethiopia) − This episode follows the hardships of an "Australopithecus" group and a young called Blue in the late Pliocene epoch.1,000,000 BC, Early Pleistocene (Paraguay) − This episode follows a male "Smilodon" called Half-Tooth after he lost his territory in the early Pleistocene epoch.30,000 BC, Late Pleistocene (North Sea, Belgium, and Swiss Alps) − This episode follows a herd of woolly mammoth journey to the Alps in the last Ice Age of the late Pleistocene epoch.This episode details a list of animals from the first season that the developers thought were the most impressive creatures on Earth.
Prehistoric Planet
5615#29
The cooling trend of the last epoch of the Jurassic continued into the first age of the Cretaceous. There is evidence that snowfalls were common in the higher latitudes and the tropics became wetter than during the Triassic and Jurassic. Glaciation was however restricted to high-latitude mountains, though seasonal snow may have existed farther from the poles. Rafting by ice of stones into marine environments occurred during much of the Cretaceous but evidence of deposition directly from glaciers is limited to the Early Cretaceous of the Eromanga Basin in southern Australia.
Cretaceous
37864028#8
The Paleocene (the first epoch of the Paleogene) immediately followed the asteroid impact that destroyed the dinosaurs and the Cretaceous world. It marks the transition between the dinosaurs of the Mesozoic and the emergence of the larger mammals of the Eocene (Cenozoic). The early part of the period experienced cooler temperatures and a more arid climate than existed before the asteroid. This is most likely due to atmospheric dust reflecting sunlight for an extended time. But in the latter part of the epoch, the temperatures warmed significantly, resulting in the absence of glaciated poles and the presence of verdant, tropical forests. The warmer climate increased ocean temperatures leading to a proliferation of species such as coral and other invertebrates.
Climate across Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary
24844634#0
The Cretaceous Thermal Maximum (CTM), also known as Cretaceous Thermal Optimum, was a period of climatic warming that reached its peak approximately 90 million years ago (90 Ma) during the Turonian age of the Late Cretaceous epoch. The CTM is notable for its dramatic increase in global temperatures characterized by high carbon dioxide levels.
During the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum (CTM), atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose to over 1000 parts per million compared to the pre-industrial average of 280 ppm. Rising carbon dioxide resulted in a significant increase in the greenhouse effect, leading to elevated global temperatures. In the seas, crystalline or "glassy" foraminifera predominated, a key indicator of higher temperatures. The CTM began during the Cenomanian/Turonian transition and was associated with a major disruption in global climate as well as global anoxia during Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE-2). The CTM was the most extreme disruption of the carbon cycle in the past 100 million years.
Cretaceous Thermal Maximum