When was the Cretaceous Period? How long ago was the Cretaceous Period? How long did the Cretaceous Period last? On this page you’ll find the answers to all these questions and more…
Page Index
- Introduction
- When Was The Cretaceous Period?
- Cretaceous Period Epochs
- How Long Did The Cretaceous Period Last?
- What Came Before the Cretaceous Period?
- What Came After the Cretaceous Period?
- Which Era is the Cretaceous Period Part Of?
- Let’s Dig Deeper: The Geologic Time Scale
- Fossils in Cretaceous Rock
- Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event
- More Dinosaur Information
Introduction
The first flowering plants appeared in the Cretaceous Period. They formed an evolutionary relationship with insects that allowed both groups to flourish.
It was during the Cretaceous period that dinosaurs were at their most diverse. Some of the most famous dinosaurs lived during this period, including the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex.
The huge landmass known as Pangea continued to break apart in the Cretaceous Period, and it was during this period that the modern continents were formed.
Find out more
- You can find out more about the Cretaceous Period at our main Cretaceous Period Facts Page.
When Was The Cretaceous Period?
The Cretaceous Period began 145 million years ago (Mya) and ended 66 Mya. It was the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era.
When Were The Epochs of the Cretaceous Period?
Just as hours divide into minutes, eras divide into periods. Just like minutes, periods can themselves be divided into smaller units. These units are known as epochs.
Unlike minutes and hours (and seconds), geologic time periods (such as periods and eras) aren’t always the same length. This is because they correspond to layers of rocks in the Earth’s crust rather than set amounts of time.
The epochs of the Cretaceous Period are shown below:
- Early Cretaceous: 145 to 100.5 Mya
- Middle Cretaceous: 100.5 – 66 Mya
How Long Did The Cretaceous Period Last?
The Cretaceous Period lasted 79 million years. It was the longest of the three periods of the Mesozoic Era.
What Came Before the Cretaceous Period?
The period that came before the Cretaceous Period was the Jurassic Period (the second period of the Mesozoic Era).
What Came After the Cretaceous Period?
The Cretaceous Period ended with a mass extinction event that killed off all of the large dinosaurs. (Only the dinosaurs that had evolved into birds escaped extinction.)
After the Cretaceous Period came the Paleogene Period. This was the first period of the Cenozoic Era.
We are currently living in the Quaternary Period – the third period of the Cenozoic Era. It began around 2.588 Mya.
Periods of the Mesozoic Era
Which Era is the Cretaceous Period Part Of?
As we’ve found, the Cretaceous Period is the third of three periods that make up the Mesozoic Era.
The first period of the Mesozoic Era was the Triassic Period. It began 251.9 million years ago (Mya) and ended 201.3 Mya.
The second period was the Jurassic Period, which spanned from 201.3 Mya to 145 Mya.
Let’s Dig Deeper: The Geologic Time Scale
The Cretaceous Period is a period of time in the Geologic Time Scale. Like all periods in the Geologic time scale, it corresponds to the time in Earth’s history during which a certain layer of rock was being formed.
In the case of the Cretaceous Period, that layer of rock is a deep layer of chalk present in Europe. (‘Creta’ means ‘chalk’ in Latin.) In other parts of the world layers of limestone were formed in the Cretaceous Period.
Both chalk and limestone are ‘sedimentary rocks’; that is, rocks formed by the gradual buildup of tiny grains of sediment carried in water.
The warm climate of the Cretaceous Period led to high sea levels. Large, shallow inland seas formed and were home to millions of microscopic organisms. When the organisms died, their bodies drifted to the sea bed, forming a deep layer of sediment.
The sediment eventually hardened and over the centuries became the chalk or limestone characteristic of the Cretaceous Period.
Fossils in Cretaceous Rock
The fossils found in the Cretaceous rock layer represent animals that were alive during the Cretaceous Period. By studying the fossils present in Cretaceous rocks, paleontologists can build up a picture of life in the Cretaceous Period.
The End Of The Cretaceous Period
The Cretaceous Period ended with an extinction event known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event. During this tumultuous time all of the non-avian dinosaurs, together with the pterosaurs, the plesiosaurs, ammonites, and countless other species, became extinct.
In fact, during the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event, around 75% of all species on Earth perished.
The most likely cause of the mass extinction is that Earth was hit by a large asteroid or comet. The subsequent explosion would have caused a dust cloud, blocking the sun and preventing plants from growing.
With no plants at the bottom of the food chain, all those species higher up the food chain would have struggled to survive.
The effect of the asteroid impact may have been multiplied by widespread volcanic activity – a deadly combination that few species would have been able to survive.
The asteroid impact theory was backed up by the discovery of a large impact crater near the town of Chicxulub, on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.
Dinosaur Information on Active Wild
You’ll find more amazing prehistoric information on the following pages:
- Triassic Period: The Ultimate Guide
- Jurassic Period: The Ultimate Guide
- Cretaceous Period: The Ultimate Guide
- Dinosaur Books
- Dinosaur DVDs
- Dinosaur Toys & Gifts
- Dinosaur Facts: Main Page
- List of Dinosaurs with Pictures and Information
- Dinosaur Periods of the Mesozoic Era
- Types of Dinosaurs
- Why did Dinosaurs Become Extinct?
- When were Dinosaurs Alive?
- How Long Were Dinosaurs On Earth?
- Animals That Lived With Dinosaurs
- List Of Prehistoric Animals That Are Not Dinosaurs
- When Did Dinosaurs Go Extinct?
- How Big Was the Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs?
- What is the Smallest Dinosaur?
- Are Dinosaurs Reptiles?
- Were Dinosaurs Real?
- When Were Dinosaurs Discovered?
- How Long Ago Did Dinosaurs Live?