Mesozoic Era 2: Jurassic Period – Dinosaurs Dominate
Key Events
- The Jurassic begins with extinction events linked to volcanic activity in what is now the Atlantic Ocean.
- Other groups are wiped out, allowing the dinosaurs to dominate.
- The first birds evolve from a branch of carnivorous dinosaurs that includesVelociraptors and Tyrannosaurus rex.
- Pangea breaks apart, with a narrow Atlantic Ocean separating North America from Africa and South America.
![Illustration of life during the Jurassic Period.](https://cornwallseatostars.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Sea-to-Stars-Line-elements-A3-Finals_Page_11-724x1024.jpg)
Facts, Debates & Trivia
- The Jurassic Period is named after the Jura Mountains on the Swiss-French border.
![](https://cornwallseatostars.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cornwall-Sea-to-Stars-V5-Proofs_Page_12-341x1024.jpg)
Conditions
- The climate is mainly warm.
- Towards the end of the Jurassic, much of the world is lush and tropical.
![](https://cornwallseatostars.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/12-Jurassic-170_million_ya-1024x928.jpg)
Timeline
201.3 – 145.0 million years ago
(56.3 million years)
![](https://cornwallseatostars.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/12-Stopwatch-Jurassic-1024x843.png)
![](https://cornwallseatostars.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/solow_motion.png)
Where have you reached on the trail?
![](https://cornwallseatostars.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/12-Jurassic_Trail.png)