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What did Earth look like in the Cretaceous? (145–66 Ma)

A greenhouse world where dinosaurs and flowering plants flourished together. It ended with the Chicxulub asteroid impact (K-Pg extinction) that wiped out non-avian dinosaurs.

Explore the Cretaceous Earth in 3D →

Key events of this period

  • First Flowering Plants

    130 Ma

    Flowering plants (angiosperms) appeared. Co-evolved with insects and rapidly diversified to comprise 90% of modern land plants.

  • Angiosperm Radiation

    100 Ma

    In the mid-Cretaceous, flowering plants explosively diversified and began dominating terrestrial flora. Co-evolution with pollinators like bees and butterflies drove this radiation, reshaping food webs alongside dinosaur ecosystems.

  • Oceanic Anoxic Event 2

    94 Ma

    In the mid-Cretaceous, volcanism from the Caribbean Large Igneous Province triggered widespread deep-ocean oxygen depletion. Well-documented by global black shale deposits and a strong carbon isotope excursion. The mass burial of organic matter became major petroleum source rocks, and the event is a key window into Cretaceous greenhouse climate.