The start of the Triassic period (and the Mesozoic era) was a desolate time in Earth's history. Something—a bout of violent volcanic eruptions, climate change, or perhaps a fatal run-in with a comet or asteroid —had triggered the extinction of more than 90 percent of Earth's species.
What are 3 fun facts about the Triassic period?
- The Triassic Period is the first of the three geologic periods of the Mesozoic Era.
- The Triassic Period was the shortest period of the Mesozoic Era.
- The Triassic Period lasted roughly 50.6 million years.
- The Triassic Period occurred between 251.902 and 201.3 million years ago.
What major events happened in the Triassic period?
The Triassic Period (252-201 million years ago) began after Earth's worst-ever extinction event devastated life . The Permian-Triassic extinction event, also known as the Great Dying, took place roughly 252 million years ago and was one of the most significant events in the history of our planet.
What fossils were found in the Triassic period?
Trilobites, bryozoans, and rugose (horn) corals all disappeared. But many new species developed. The ammonites and brachiopods survived and began to recover. One type of ammonite was especially plentiful during the Triassic Period.
What happened during the Early Triassic epoch?
At the beginning of the Triassic, virtually all the major landmasses of the world were collected into the supercontinent of Pangea . Terrestrial climates were predominately warm and dry (though seasonal monsoons occurred over large areas), and the Earth's crust was relatively quiescent.
What is unique about the Triassic period?
The Triassic Period was a time of great change . Bookended by extinctions, this era saw huge shifts in the diversity and dominance of life on Earth, ushering in the appearance of many well-known groups of animals that would go on to rule the planet for tens of millions of years.
Why is it called Triassic period?
The first period of the Mesozoic Era is the Triassic Period, which lasted from 245 to 202 million years ago. The name Triassic comes from Germany where it was originally named the Trias in 1834 by Friedrich August Von Alberti (1795-1878) because it is represented by a three-part division of rock types in Germany.
What survived the Great Dying?
Ancient, small sharks survived an event that killed off most large ocean species 250 million years ago. Called the Great Dying, this era marked the end of the Permian Period and the beginning of the Triassic. ... The survivor sharks did eventually die out, but not until at least 120 million years after the Great Dying.
Why did the Triassic Period End?
Huge and widespread volcanic eruptions triggered the end-Triassic extinction. Some 200 million years ago, an increase in atmospheric CO2 caused acidification of the oceans and global warming that killed off 76 percent of marine and terrestrial species on Earth.
What was the first dinosaur?
For the past twenty years, Eoraptor has represented the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs. This controversial little creature–found in the roughly 231-million-year-old rock of Argentina–has often been cited as the earliest known dinosaur.
What was the weather like in the Triassic period?
Climate was generally very dry over much of Pangaea with very hot summers and cold winters in the continental interior . A highly seasonal monsoon climate prevailed nearer to the coastal regions. Although the climate was more moderate farther from the equator, it was generally warmer than today with no polar ice caps.
Which period is older than the Triassic period?
From oldest to youngest: Triassic (251.902 to 201.3 million years ago) Jurassic (201.3 to 145 million years ago) Cretaceous (145 to 66 million years ago)
What era is the Triassic Period in?
Triassic Period, in geologic time, the first period of the Mesozoic Era . It began 252 million years ago, at the close of the Permian Period, and ended 201 million years ago, when it was succeeded by the Jurassic Period.
What animals were alive during the Triassic period?
Modern groups whose ancestral forms appeared for the first time in the Middle and Late Triassic include lizards, turtles, rhynchocephalians (lizardlike animals) , and crocodilians. The mammal-like reptiles, or therapsids, suffered pulses of extinctions in the Late Permian.
What happened to bring an end to the Permian period?
The Permian ended with the most extensive extinction event recorded in paleontology: the Permian–Triassic extinction event . Ninety to 95% of marine species became extinct, as well as 70% of all land organisms. ... Trilobites, which had thrived since Cambrian times, finally became extinct before the end of the Permian.
Did it rain 2 million years?
About 232 million years ago, during a span known as the Carnian age, it rained almost everywhere . After millions of years of dry climates, Earth entered a wet period lasting one million to two million years. Nearly any place where geologists find rocks of that age, there are signs of wet weather.
