Article
Article
Mesozoic
Article By:
Dubiel, Russell F. U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, Denver, Colorado.
Last reviewed:November 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.417200
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The middle era of the three major divisions of the Phanerozoic Eon (Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras) of geologic time. The Mesozoic encompasses an interval from 252 to 66 million years ago (MYA) based on various isotopic-age dates (Fig. 1). It is known also as the Age of the Dinosaurs and the interval of middle life. The Mesozoic Erathem (the largest recognized time-stratigraphic unit) encompasses all sedimentary rocks, body and trace fossils of organisms preserved, metamorphic rocks, and intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks formed during the Mesozoic Era.
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