Principles of Stratigraphy (ES301)
Dr. Hiranya Sahoo
Assistant Professor
Dept of Earthsciences,
Office: Room No 310, ESB-3
Email: hiranya@[Link]
The Mesozoic World
Why should we study Mesozoic
World?
~4%
Natural Resources
Age of Petroleum Reserves:
The Grand Reconstruction
Paleogeography
Paleogeography
• Pangaea began to separate
Paleogeography
• Tethys seaway formed
– Site of modern Mediterranean Sea
Early Mesozoic
• Bounded by mass
extinctions
• Recovery from
Permian mass
extinction of:
– Fusulinids
– Lacy bryozoans
– Rugose corals
– Trilobites
Early Mesozoic Life
• Reefs
– Hexacorals
– Dominant reef
builder
– Some resemble
rugose corals
Early Mesozoic Life on Land
• Tree-forming Gymnosperms
– Cycads
– Cycadeoids
– Ginkgos
Petrified woods
Early Mesozoic Life on Land
• Dinosaur evolution • Dinosaur evolution
– Bird-hipped – Lizard-hipped
• Herbivores • Herbivores
• Carnivores
Similarity vs.
Dissimilarity?
Early Mesozoic Life on Land
• Sauropods
– Largest of all
dinosaurs
– Herbivorous
Early Mesozoic Life on Land
• Allosaurus
– Largest carnivore
Climates
• Warming trend which reached a maximum in the
Late Jurassic
• Abundant evaporites and carbonates
• Warmer mid latitude and high latitude rainfall as
evidenced by coal deposits for a mild polar
condition
• Oxygen levels were low during Triassic (15%) and
rose to 25% then lowering to 21% by the Late
Jurassic
What we
can interpret?
Regression, very low
sea level
during the Triassic
Zuni Transgression in
Jurassic
through Cretaceous,
very high
sea level
Triassic Mass Extinction
• Large amount of CO2 • Global warming
– Volcanic activity released high volumes of CO2
