Mesozoic
252 Ma – 66 Ma
The Mesozoic, 252 to 66 million years ago, is the age of dinosaurs. Pangaea broke apart, the Atlantic Ocean opened, flowering plants appeared, and the first birds and mammals emerged — until an asteroid impact ended the era at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary.
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Highlights
- Pangaea rifts apart and the Atlantic opens
- Dinosaurs dominate the land
- First birds and flowering plants
- The K–Pg asteroid impact and mass extinction
Periods of the Mesozoic
- Triassic — 252 Ma – 201.4 Ma
- Jurassic — 201.4 Ma – 145 Ma
- Cretaceous — 145 Ma – 66 Ma