How Do You Spell CRETACEOUS PERIOD?

Pronunciation: [kɹɛtˈe͡ɪʃəs pˈi͡əɹɪəd] (IPA)

The Cretaceous period is a geologic era that spanned from around 145 million years ago to 66 million years ago. The spelling of Cretaceous follows the English language's phonetic rules, with the "C" taking on a hard "K" sound, the "e" pronounced as the short "e" sound, and the "taceous" pronounced as "tay-shus." The phonetic transcription of Cretaceous is /kriːˈteɪʃəs/. This period is known for its massive dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops, as well as the extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of the era.

CRETACEOUS PERIOD Meaning and Definition

1. The Cretaceous period is a major division of geological time that began approximately 145 million years ago and ended around 66 million years ago. It is the last and longest segment of the Mesozoic era, following the Jurassic period and preceding the Paleogene period. This period is known for its rich fossil record, as it witnessed the emergence and extinction of various organisms.

   During the Cretaceous period, Earth experienced significant geological and environmental changes. The supercontinent Pangaea continued to break apart, resulting in the formation of present-day continents. The climate was warm and tropical, with high sea levels and abundant marine life. The seas were home to diverse organisms, including ammonites, marine reptiles like mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, and ichthyosaurs, as well as various types of fish.

   On land, the flora diversified with the appearance of new types of flowering plants, or angiosperms. These plants coexisted with conifers and ferns and provided food and habitat for the evolving dinosaur fauna. The Cretaceous period is famously known as the age of dinosaurs, which witnessed the dominance of theropods like Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor, as well as the emergence of new herbivorous dinosaurs such as Triceratops and Hadrosaurs.

   The Cretaceous period came to an abrupt end with an event known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event. This mass extinction wiped out three-quarters of all plant and animal species on Earth, including the non-avian dinosaurs, making way for the rise of mammals and shaping the future of life on our planet.

Common Misspellings for CRETACEOUS PERIOD

• xretaceous period
• vretaceous period
• fretaceous period
• dretaceous period
• ceetaceous period
• cdetaceous period
• cfetaceous period
• ctetaceous period
• c5etaceous period
• c4etaceous period
• crwtaceous period
• crstaceous period
• crdtaceous period
• crrtaceous period
• cr4taceous period
• cr3taceous period
• creraceous period
• crefaceous period
• cregaceous period
• creyaceous period

Etymology of CRETACEOUS PERIOD

The word "Cretaceous" is derived from the Latin word "creta", which means "chalk". This term was first used by French geologist Alexandre Brongniart in 1822 to describe the rock formations found in the region of Étretat on the coast of Normandy, France. These rocks are composed mainly of chalk, which is a soft, white, and porous type of limestone.

The Cretaceous period is characterized by the deposition of extensive layers of chalk in many parts of the world, particularly in Western Europe. Therefore, the name "Cretaceous" was adopted to describe this geological period, which lasted from approximately 145 to 66 million years ago.

Plural form of CRETACEOUS PERIOD is CRETACEOUS PERIODS