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Topics related to "Mesozoic Era"

Mesozoic era
Mesozoic era [Gr.,=middle life], major division of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale , table) from 65 to 225 million years ago. Great crustal disturbances that marked the close of the Paleozoic and the beginning of the Mesozoic eras brought about drastic changes in the topography of North Amer... Read more
Cenozoic era
Cenozoic era , last major division of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale , table) lasting from 65 million years ago to the present. The Cenozoic is divided into the Tertiary (from 65 million years ago until 2 million years ago) and Quaternary (2 million years ago to the present) periods. Early i... Read more
ammonite
ammonite , one of a type of extinct marine cephalopod mollusk, related to the nautilus and resembling it in having an elaborately coiled and chambered shell. Unlike the interiors of nautilus shells, the chambers of ammonite shells display intricately shaped septa and sutures. The type included n... Read more
cephalopod
cephalopod , member of the class Cephalopoda, the most highly organized group of mollusks (phylum Mollusca ), and including the squids , octopuses , cuttlefish , and nautiluses . The class as a whole has become adapted for a free-swimming existence. Cephalopods are able to move about rapidly, a... Read more
Plesiosaurus
Plesiosaurus , genus of extinct predatory marine reptiles that arose in the Triassic period of geologic time and continued into the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Plesiosaurs became extinct at the close of the Mesozoic era. Fossilized skeletons of them have been found in North America, Europe, and... Read more
Geologic Timescale
Geologic Timescale Geologic Timescale Era Period Epoch Approximate duration (millions of years) Approximate number of years ago (millions of years)  Not an era but the time preceding the Cambrian. Cenozoic ... Read more
continental drift
continental drift geological theory that the relative positions of the continents on the earth's surface have changed considerably through geologic time. Though first proposed by American geologist Frank Bursley Taylor in a lecture in 1908, the first detailed theory of continental drift was put for... Read more
Karroo
Karroo or Karoo , the semiarid plateaus of South Africa. The Little Karroo, in Western Cape, is located N of the Langeberg and Outeniqua Ranges and extends c.200 mi (320 km) from east to west at an altitude of 1,000 to 2,000 ft (305-610 m). It is separated from the Great Karroo, in Western C... Read more
tuatara
tuatara or tuatera , lizardlike reptile , Sphenodon punctatus, last survivor of the reptilian order Rhynchocephalia, which flourished in the early Mesozoic era before the rise of the dinosaurs. Also called sphenodon, it is found on islands off the New Zealand coast and in Karori Wildlife Sanc... Read more
mammal
mammal an animal of the highest class of vertebrates, the Mammalia. The female has mammary glands, which secrete milk for the nourishment of the young after birth. In the majority of mammals the body is partially or wholly covered with hair; the heart has four chambers, and only the left aortic arc... Read more

Encyclopedia entries related to "Mesozoic Era"

Mesozoic era
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition ...and the beginning of the Mesozoic eras brought about drastic...elevated during most of the era. The Appalachians were subjected...Cordilleran geosyncline. The Mesozoic tectonic activity included...to rift apart. By the late Mesozoic, tectonic activity increased...spreading ). The life of the ... Read more
Mesozoic
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to the Earth ...The term ‘Mesozoic’ (Greek: middle...of the Palaeozoic era and the beginning...beginning of the era the continents were...and rotating during Mesozoic times this supercontinent...geology of the world. Mesozoic A . Academic Press...1982) The Cenozoic Era: Tertiary and ... Read more
Cenozoic era
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition ...periodically active today. Following the disturbances of the late Mesozoic era , the geography of North America had by the beginning of the...of humans. Cenozoic land mammals were never as large as the Mesozoic dinosaurs, but many were larger than today's mammals, and... Read more
Cretaceous period
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition , third and last period of the Mesozoic era of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale...in its flora and fauna brought the Mesozoic to a close. Historical Geology of...Mesozoic and the succeeding Cenozoic era . The striking feature of the European... Read more
Triassic period
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition , first period of the Mesozoic era of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale , table) from 205 to 250...mountain-building episode that formed the Appalachians in the late Paleozoic era , was elevated above sea level. California and Nevada, however, were... Read more
Paleocene epoch
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition , first epoch of the Tertiary period in the Cenozoic era of geologic time (see geologic timescale ) between 60 to...the uplift of the Rocky Mts. that marked the end of the Mesozoic era continued throughout the Paleocene, and the Cretaceous inland...Paleocene mammals were mostly small herbivores similar to ... Read more
Cretaceous
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to the Earth Cretaceous The third and youngest system of Mesozoic rocks takes its name from the Latin creta , meaning chalk...period terminated around 65 Ma ago with the ending of the Mesozoic Era and the occurrence of a major extinction event. Thus it...been more varied and seasonal than those earlier in the ... Read more
Triassic
Book article from: World Encyclopedia Triassic First period of the Mesozoic era, lasting from 248 to 213 million years ago. Many new kinds of animals developed. On land, the first dinosaurs roamed. Mammal-like... Read more
Jurassic
Book article from: World Encyclopedia Jurassic Central period of the Mesozoic era, lasting from 213 to 144 million years ago. In this period there were saurischian and ornithischian dinosaurs , such as Allosaurus and Stegosaurus, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs and archaeopteryx . Primitive mammals had begun to evolve. Read more
dinosaur
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition [Gr., = terrible lizard], extinct land reptile of the Mesozoic era . The dinosaurs, which were egg-laying animals, ranged in length from 2 1/2 ft (91 cm) to about 127 ft (39 m). Recognized discoveries... Read more

Dictionary entries related to "Mesozoic Era"

Mesozoic
Book article from: A Dictionary of Biology Mesozoic The geological era that extended from the end of the Palaeozoic era, about 248 million...It comprises the Triassic , Jurassic , and Cretaceous periods. The Mesozoic era is often known as the Age of Reptiles as these animals, which included... Read more
era
Book article from: A Dictionary of Plant Sciences era A first-order geological time unit composed of several periods. The Mesozoic Era, for example, is composed of the Triassic , Jurassic , and Cretaceous Periods, dating from approximately 248 Ma to 65 Ma. When used formally, the initial letter is capitalized. Read more
Cretaceous
Book article from: A Dictionary of Biology Cretaceous The final geological period of the Mesozoic era. It extended from about 144 million years...the time of greatest flooding in the Mesozoic. Angiosperm plants made their first appearance on land and in the early Cretaceous Mesozoic reptiles reached their peak. At the end... Read more
Time Scales
Book article from: A Dictionary of Earth Sciences ...Time‐Scale Eon/Eonothem Era/Erathem Sub‐era Period/System Epoch/Series...4 Eocene 56.5 Palaeocene 65 Mesozoic Cretaceous 145.6 Jurassic 208...Time‐Scale Eon/Eonothem Era/Erathem Sub‐era Period/System Epoch/Series...4 Eocene 56.5 Palaeocene 65 Mesozoic ... Read more
erathem
Book article from: A Dictionary of Earth Sciences ...equivalent to the geologic-time unit era . An erathem comprises a number...its name from the corresponding era, e.g. the Mesozoic Erathem would refer to the rocks laid down during the Mesozoic Era. At present it is a little used... Read more
Cenozoic
Book article from: A Dictionary of Biology ...Cainozoic ; Kainozoic ) The geological era that began about 65 million years ago and extends to the present. It followed the Mesozoic era and is subdivided into the Tertiary and...flowering plants also flourished. The era saw the formation of the major mountain... Read more
Triassic
Book article from: A Dictionary of Biology Triassic The earliest period of the Mesozoic era. It began about 248 million years ago, following the Permian, the last period of the Palaeozoic era, and extended until about 213 million years ago when it was succeeded... Read more
Tertiary
Book article from: A Dictionary of Earth Sciences Tertiary First sub-era of the Cenozoic Era , which began about 65Ma ago and lasted until 1.64 Ma. The Tertiary followed the Mesozoic and comprises five epochs : the Palaeocene , Eocene , Oligocene , Miocene , and Pliocene . Read more
Jurassic
Book article from: The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable Jurassic the second period of the Mesozoic era, between the Triassic and Cretaceous periods. The Jurassic lasted from about 208 to 146 million years ago. Large reptiles, including... Read more
dinosaur
Book article from: The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable dinosaur a fossil reptile of the Mesozoic era, often reaching an enormous size; in extended usage, a person or thing that is outdated or has become obsolete because of failure... Read more

Related newspaper, magazine, and trade journal articles from HighBeam Research

A Window on the Mesozoic Era: DINOSAUR RIDGE, Morrison, Colorado.
Magazine article from: Rocks & Minerals; 9/1/1998; ; 700+ words ; One of the country's best localities to see dinosaur tracks and bones is located on the western edge of the Denver metropolitan area. Dinosaur Ridge has a history dating back to 1877 and is well known to students of paleontology, but until about ten years ago, familiarity with the site was confined Read more
Patagonian Mesozoic Reptiles.(Brief article)(Book review)
Magazine article from: Internet Bookwatch; 8/1/2007; 165 words ; Patagonian Mesozoic Reptiles Zulma Gasparini, Leonardo Salgado, and Rodolfo...Gasparini, Leonardo Salgado, and Rodolfo A. Coria, Patagonian Mesozoic Reptiles is an amazing scientific text revealing the latest...dinosaurs that lived in the Patagonian region during the Mesozoic era. Numerous ... Read more
SYRIA - The Mesozoic.
Newspaper article from: APS Review Gas Market Trends; 3/3/2008; 327 words ; An era of major tectonic movements, the Mesozoic in Syria began with a rich Triassic sequence of carbonates, mainly limestone and dolomite. Shales and evaporites developed in a... Read more
SYRIA - Tectonic Background.
Newspaper article from: APS Review Oil Market Trends; 2/28/2000; 700+ words ; ...the Arabian Plate. In pre-Mesozoic times, this Levantine margin...earth movements in the Early Mesozoic era brought about elevations...major movements during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras introduced...access for the drill. The Mesozoic: An era of major tectonic movements, the ... Read more
SYRIA - The Tectonic Background.
Newspaper article from: APS Review Gas Market Trends; 3/6/2006; 502 words ; ...margin of the Arabian Plate. In pre-Mesozoic times, this Levantine margin developed...great earth movements in the Early Mesozoic era brought about elevations in Syria called...Several major movements during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras introduced new tectonic...geologists now are concentrating ... Read more
The age of dinosaurs.(READ A TIME LINE)
Magazine article from: WR News, Edition 3 (including Science Spin); 11/7/2008; 168 words ; Dinos ruled during the Mesozoic Era. This time line shows the three periods of the Mesozoic Era. Study the time line, and then answer the questions. Millions of years ago Triassic The first dinosaurs roamed Earth 228 million years ago [ILLUSTRATION... Read more
The age of reptiles.(READ A TIME LINE)
Magazine article from: WR News, Senior Edition (including Science Spin); 10/17/2008; 190 words ; Reptiles ruled during the Mesozoic Era. That time period started 245 million years ago and lasted 180 million years. Study this time line of the Mesozoic Era. Then answer the questions. Millions of years ago Triassic The... Read more
Dinosaurs on the Web. (CyberHunt).(Brief Article)
Magazine article from: Instructor (1990); 3/1/2001; ; 602 words ; Take a cyberjourney back to the Mesozoic Era and learn fascinating facts about the dinosaurs that...DIGGING FOR DINOSAURS DIRECTIONS: Let's go back to the Mesozoic era, or the Age of Reptiles, to find out more about dinosaurs... Read more
When dinosaurs dominated: ancient creatures arrive from China: A new exhibition "tells the story of how the planet changed while dinosaurs ruled the Earth--and how this affected the evolution of dinosaurs and other life.(The World Yesterday)
Magazine article from: USA Today (Magazine); 7/1/2005; 700+ words ; ...life-size cast reproductions from all three periods of the Mesozoic era: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. On display are...several episodes of tectonic shifting throughout the Mesozoic era, forming mountains separated by basins and creating... Read more
Is the guitar fully evolved?(The Guitar Market)
Magazine article from: Music Trades; 10/1/1995; 700+ words ; Or, Is The Best Yet To Come? Dinosaurs ruled the earth for nearly 200 million years during the Mesozoic era. Then, in a comparatively brief ten million year time span, the massive lizards were rendered extinct by mammals, who have remained... Read more