The Mesozoic Era: Age of Dinosaurs (The Geologic History of Earth)

TITLE......Page 4
COPYRIGHT......Page 5
CONTENTS......Page 6
INTRODUCTION......Page 13
CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW OF THE MESOZOIC ERA......Page 24
MESOZOIC GEOLOGY......Page 25
THE TETHYS SEA......Page 28
MESOZOIC LIFE......Page 30
LIFE IN THE OCEANS......Page 31
LIFE ON LAND......Page 32
MASS EXTINCTION AT THE END OF THE MESOZOIC......Page 33
THE DINOSAURS......Page 35
CHAPTER 2 THE TRIASSIC PERIOD......Page 103
PALEOGEOGRAPHY......Page 105
PALEOCLIMATE......Page 107
MASS EXTINCTIONS OF THE TRIASSIC......Page 110
INVERTEBRATES......Page 113
VERTEBRATES......Page 115
PLANTS......Page 118
SIGNIFICANT DINOSAURS OF THE TRIASSIC PERIOD......Page 119
OTHER SIGNIFICANT LIFE-FORMS OF THE TRIASSIC PERIOD......Page 122
TRIASSIC GEOLOGY......Page 134
THE STAGES OF THE TRIASSIC PERIOD......Page 135
CHAPTER 3 THE JURASSIC PERIOD......Page 141
PALEOGEOGRAPHY......Page 142
PALEOCLIMATE......Page 145
JURASSIC LIFE......Page 146
MARINE LIFE......Page 147
TERRESTRIAL LIFE......Page 152
PLANTS......Page 155
SIGNIFICANT DINOSAURS OF THE JURASSIC PERIOD......Page 156
OTHER SIGNIFICANT LIFE-FORMS OF THE JURASSIC PERIOD......Page 183
THE ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF JURASSIC DEPOSITS......Page 189
THE OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF JURASSIC ROCKS......Page 190
THE STAGES OF THE JURASSIC PERIOD......Page 196
COPROLITES......Page 205
THE MORRISON FORMATION......Page 206
THE PURBECK BEDS......Page 207
THE SOLNHOFEN LIMESTONE......Page 208
CHAPTER 4 THE CRETACEOUS PERIOD......Page 210
PALEOGEOGRAPHY......Page 212
PALEOCLIMATE......Page 216
CRETACEOUS LIFE......Page 217
MARINE LIFE......Page 218
TERRESTRIAL LIFE......Page 220
THE END-CRETACEOUS MASS EXTINCTION......Page 221
SIGNIFICANT DINOSAURS OF THE CRETACEOUS PERIOD......Page 223
OTHER SIGNIFICANT LIFE-FORMS OF THE CRETACEOUS PERIOD......Page 247
THE ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF CRETACEOUS DEPOSITS......Page 256
THE OCCURRENCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF CRETACEOUS ROCKS......Page 257
TYPES OF CRETACEOUS ROCKS......Page 259
THE CORRELATION OF CRETACEOUS STRATA......Page 261
THE MAJOR SUBDIVISIONS OF THE CRETACEOUS SYSTEM......Page 263
THE STAGES OF THE CRETACEOUS PERIOD......Page 265
SIGNIFICANT CRETACEOUS FORMATIONS AND DISCOVERIES......Page 272
EARTH AT THE END OF THE MESOZOIC......Page 275
GLOSSARY......Page 276
FOR FURTHER READING......Page 278
INDEX......Page 280