Cretaceous Era

THE CRETACEOUS ERA spanned the time period from 144 to 65 million years ago. It was the final epoch of the dinosaurs. It ended when the dinosaurs became extinct. At its height, the Cretaceous was a period of great warmth. The poles were ice-free, and warm ocean currents spread from the equator to the poles. The concentration of carbon dioxide was higher than it is today, causing a greenhouse effect. The abundance of plants was not enough to lower the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The vigor of their growth implies that the Cretaceous climate was warm and wet, although, curiously, rainfall in the tropics was not heavy enough to support rainforests. Plants grew as far north as the Arctic Circle, proving that ...