It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ninth and longest geological period of the entire Phanerozoic. The name is derived from the …

Nov 4, 2025 · Cretaceous Period, in geologic time, the last of the three periods of the Mesozoic Era. It began 145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago and featured the extinction of the …

The Cretaceous Period lasted for nearly 80 million years. Discover what the climate was like in this geological period, where the continents were and what animals and plants lived on them. Find out …

Apr 27, 2023 · In 1882 a Belgian geologist, Omalius d’Halloy, proposed the term “Cretaceous” for strata encircling the Paris Basin in France. The term derives from the Latin word for chalk (“creta”) and …

During this period, oceans formed as land shifted and broke out of one big supercontinent into smaller ones. Continents were on the move in the Cretaceous, busy remodeling the shape and tone of...

The Cretaceous period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic period, from about 146 to 136 million years ago (Ma) to the beginning of the Paleocene …

Many of the most famous dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops, first appeared in the Cretaceous (kruh-TAY-shus) Period, which lasted from 144 to 65 million years ago.

Jul 25, 2025 · The Cretaceous Period, spanning approximately 145 to 66 million years ago, represents a significant chapter in Earth’s geological history. It was the final period of the Mesozoic Era, often …

The Cretaceous is defined as the period between 145.5 and 65.5 million years ago,* the last period of the Mesozoic Era, following the Jurassic and ending with the extinction of the dinosaurs (except birds).

Jul 26, 2022 · The Cretaceous period lasted approximately 79 million years, and ended with a major extinction event about 66 million years ago.