Early Cretaceous
Pre-extinction Mesozoic period
The Early Cretaceous is the first half of the Cretaceous period, spanning roughly 145 to 100 million years ago.
During this time, flowering plants first appeared and dinosaurs continued to dominate.
The term appears in geology and paleontology to date fossils and rock formations: Early Cretaceous sediments in Montana, an Early Cretaceous theropod.
Ancient southern supercontinent
- supercontinentCombined planetary landmass
- continental driftGradual landmass repositioning
- Tethys SeaVanished equatorial ocean
- land bridgesTerrain connecting separated continents
paleoclimate · greenhouse conditions · sea level rise · volcanic activity · paleoecology
Extinct coiled-shell cephalopods
- bivalvesTwo-shelled mollusks
- gastropodsBelly-footed mollusks
- brachiopodsStalked marine filter feeders
- coralsColonial marine invertebrates
coprolites · pterosaurs · ichthyosaurs · plesiosaurs · fish scales · amber · trackways · eggshells
Plants producing covered seeds
- gymnospermsSeed plants lacking ovaries
- conifersCone-producing trees
- cycadsPrehistoric seed plants
- fernsSpore-bearing vascular plants
ginkgoes · flowering plants · horsetails · forest ecosystems · paleobotany
Study of geological ages
- radiometric datingAge measurement via atomic decay
- geological formationsNatural earth structures
Formation of distinct species
- feathered dinosaursPlumed extinct reptiles
- coevolutionReciprocal adaptation between interacting species
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
- cladisticsClassification by common descent
Gondwana
Ancient southern supercontinent
- supercontinentCombined planetary landmass
- continental driftGradual landmass repositioning
- Tethys SeaVanished equatorial ocean
land bridges · paleoclimate · greenhouse conditions · sea level rise · volcanic activity · paleoecology
ammonites
Extinct coiled-shell cephalopods
- bivalvesTwo-shelled mollusks
- gastropodsBelly-footed mollusks
- brachiopodsStalked marine filter feeders
corals · coprolites · pterosaurs · ichthyosaurs · plesiosaurs · fish scales · amber · trackways · eggshells · trace fossils
angiosperms
Plants producing covered seeds
- gymnospermsSeed plants lacking ovaries
- conifersCone-producing trees
- cycadsPrehistoric seed plants
ferns · ginkgoes · flowering plants · horsetails · forest ecosystems · paleobotany
geochronology
Study of geological ages
- radiometric datingAge measurement via atomic decay
- geological formationsNatural earth structures
speciation
Formation of distinct species
- feathered dinosaursPlumed extinct reptiles
- coevolutionReciprocal adaptation between interacting species
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
iguanodon
Bulky prehistoric plant-eater
Early CretaceousHolocene
Current geological epoch
Quaternary · Anthropocene · Pleistocene · modern era · Cenozoic