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Late Jurassic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Upper Jurassic)
The Late Jurassic (or Malm) Epoch of the Jurassic Period is the unit of geologic time from 161.2 ± 4.0 to 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago, which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.[1]
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The Late Jurassic is divided into three ages, which correspond with the three (faunal) stages of Upper Jurassic rock:
| Tithonian | (150.8 ± 4.0 – 145.5 ± 4.0 Ma) |
| Kimmeridgian | (155.7 ± 4.0 – 150.8 ± 4.0 Ma) |
| Oxfordian | (161.2 ± 4.0 – 155.7 ± 4.0 Ma) |
Pangaea broke up into two supercontinents, Laurasia to the north, and Gondwana to the south. The result of this break-up was the spawning of Atlantic Ocean. However, at this time, the Atlantic Ocean was relatively narrow.
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This short section requires expansion. |
This period was well known for many famous types of dinosaurs:
Many smaller animals were flourishing on land:
- Lizards
- Early mammals
- Very early birds (like Archaeopteryx)
In the marine realm several different marine reptile groups flourished:
- Metriorhynchid crocodiles
- Ichthyosaurs
- Plesiosaurs
- ^ Owen 1987.
- Owen, Donald E. (March 1987). "Commentary: Usage of Stratigraphic Terminology in Papers, Illustrations, and Talks". Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 57 (2): 363–372. Reproduced here.
- Kazlev, M. Alan (2002-06-28). Late Jurassic — The Malm Epoch: The Acme of the Dinosaurs. Palæos. Retrieved on 2007-04-11.
| Jurassic period | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lower/Early Jurassic | Middle Jurassic | Upper/Late Jurassic |
| Hettangian | Sinemurian Pliensbachian | Toarcian |
Aalenian | Bajocian Bathonian | Callovian |
Oxfordian | Kimmeridgian Tithonian |