Jurassic

E6158

Jurassic is a geologic period of the Mesozoic Era known for its abundant dinosaurs and the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf chronostratigraphic unit
geologic period
biostratigraphicMarker ammonites
foraminifera
characterizedBy abundant dinosaurs
ammonite diversification
breakup of Pangaea
coal formation in some regions
conifer forests
diverse marine reptiles
early bird evolution
extensive shallow epicontinental seas
gymnosperm-dominated floras
high sea levels
warm global climate
climate generally humid and warm
contains important petroleum source rocks in some basins
major limestone deposits
significant marine shale sequences
duration about 56 million years
end approximately 145 million years ago
followedBy Cretaceous
follows Triassic
globalBoundaryDefinition base defined near first appearance of Psiloceras spelae ammonites
importantFossilGroup early mammals
marine ichthyosaurs
plesiosaurs
pterosaurs
sauropod dinosaurs
stegosaurs
theropod dinosaurs
majorTectonicEvent initial breakup of Pangaea
opening of the Central Atlantic Ocean
rifting between Laurasia and Gondwana
nameCoinedBy Alexandre Brongniart
namedAfter Jura Mountains
oceanChemistry well-oxygenated shallow seas
paleogeography dominance of large continents and broad seaways
partOf Mesozoic Era
positionInEon Phanerozoic Eon
positionInEra middle period of the Mesozoic Era
precededBy Triassic
precedes Cretaceous
start approximately 201.3 million years ago
subdividedInto Early Jurassic
Late Jurassic
Middle Jurassic
usedIn geologic time scale
stratigraphic correlation

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Cretaceous follows Jurassic
Swabian Jura geologicalPeriod Jurassic
Cretaceous hasBoundaryEvent Jurassic
this entity surface form: Jurassic–Cretaceous boundary