Early Cretaceous

Short description: First epoch of the Cretaceous Period

Early/Lower Cretaceous

143.1 ± 0.6 – 100.5 ± 0.1 Ma

PreЄ

A map of Earth as it appeared 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous Epoch, Aptian Age.

Chronology

Cretaceous graphical timeline

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-130 --

-120 --

-110 --

-100 --

-90 --

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block; ">P

Late J

Paleocene

Berriasian

Valanginian

Hauterivian

Barremian

Aptian

Albian

Cenoman.

Turonian

Coniacian

Santonian

Campanian

Maastricht.

K-Pg mass
extinction

Subdivision of the Cretaceous according to the ICS, as of 2021.[1]
Vertical axis scale: millions of years ago.

Etymology
Chronostratigraphic name| Lower Cretaceous
Geochronological name| Early Cretaceous
Name formality| Formal
Usage information
Celestial body| Earth
Regional usage| Global (ICS)
Time scale(s) used| ICS Time Scale
Definition
Chronological unit| Epoch
Stratigraphic unit| Series
Time span formality| Formal
Lower boundary definition| Not formally defined
Lower boundary definition candidates|

* Magnetic—base of Chron M18r
* Base of Calpionellid zone B
* FAD of Ammonite Berriasella jacobi

Lower boundary GSSP candidate section(s)| None
Upper boundary definition| FAD of the Planktonic Foraminifer Rotalipora globotruncanoides
Upper boundary GSSP| Mont Risoux, Hautes-Alpes, France
[ ⚑ ] 44°23′33″N 5°30′43″E﻿ / ﻿44.3925°N 5.5119°E﻿ / 44.3925; 5.5119
GSSP ratified| 2002[2]

The Early Cretaceous (geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 Ma to 100.5 Ma.

## Contents

* 1 Geology
* 2 Evolution
* 3 Oil shale
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 5.1 Notes
* 5.2 Sources

## Geology

Proposals for the exact age of the Barremian–Aptian boundary ranged from 126 to 117 Ma until recently (as of 2019), but based on drillholes in Svalbard the defining early Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (OAE1a) was dated to 123.1±0.3 Ma, limiting the possible range for the boundary to c. 122–121 Ma. There is a possible link between this anoxic event and a series of Early Cretaceous large igneous provinces (LIP).[3]

The Ontong Java–Manihiki–Hikurangi large igneous province, emplaced in the South Pacific at c. 120 Ma, is by far the largest LIP in Earth's history.[4] The Ontong Java Plateau today covers an area of 1,860,000 km2. In the Indian Ocean another LIP began to form at c. 120 Ma, the Kerguelen Plateau–Broken Ridge, together covering 2,300,000 km2.[5] Another LIP on the Liaodong Peninsula, China, c. 131–117 Ma, lasted for 10 million years. It was the result of the subduction of the Kula and Pacific plates, which was probably caused by a superplume.[6]

During the opening of the South Atlantic the Paraná–Etendeka LIP produced 1.5 million km3 of basalts and rhyolites, beginning 133 Ma and lasting for a million years.[7]

The opening of the Central Atlantic continued as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge spread north to separate the Iberian Peninsula from the banks of Newfoundland and to connect to the Canada Basin in the Arctic Ocean. With the opening of the Labrador Sea, Greenland became a separate tectonic plate and Laurentia became North America. The Proto-Caribbean Sea continued to grow and the Paraná-Etendeka LIP began to break Africa into three pieces. The Falkland Plateau broke off from southern Africa at 132 Ma and Madagascar ceased to move independently c. 120 Ma. In the Panthalassic Ocean the Pacific Plate continued to grow; the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka terrane formed the Bering Strait. Continued rifting opened new basins in the Indian Ocean, separating India, Antarctica, and Australia.[8]

By 110 Ma the Mid-Atlantic Ridge reached south into the Proto-Caribbean and South Atlantic, effectively separating South America from Africa, and continued rifting in the northern end completed the longitudinal extent of the Atlantic. In Panthalassa the Ontong-Java Mega-LIP resulted in the formation of new tectonic plates and in the Indian Ocean the Kerguelen LIP began to push India northward.[9]

## Evolution

Angiosperms (flowering plants) appeared for the first time during the Early Cretaceous;[10] Archaefructaceae, one of the oldest fossil families (124.6 Ma) was found in the Yixian Formation, China.[11]

This time also saw the evolution of the first members of the Neornithes (modern birds).[12]

Sinodelphys, a 125 Ma-old boreosphenidan mammal found in the Yixian Formation, China, is one of the oldest mammal fossils found. The fossil location indicates early mammals began to diversify from Asia during the Early Cretaceous. Sinodelphys were more closely related to metatherians (marsupials) than eutherians (placentals) and had feet adapted for climbing trees.[13] Steropodon is the oldest monotreme (egg-lying mammal) discovered. It lived in Gondwana (now Australia) at 105 Ma.[14]

## Oil shale

Oil in the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field has been interpreted as being sourced from the Triassic Shublik Formation shale and carbonate, Lower Cretaceous highly radioactive zone shale, and Lower Jurassic Kingak Shale.[15]

## See also

* Geological period

## References

### Notes

1. ↑ Super User. "ICS - Chart/Time Scale". http://www.stratigraphy.org/index.php/ics-chart-timescale.
2. ↑ Kennedy, W.; Gale, A.; Lees, J.; Caron, M. (March 2004). "The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Cenomanian Stage, Mont Risou, Hautes-Alpes, France". Episodes 27: 21–32. doi:10.18814/epiiugs/2004/v27i1/003. https://stratigraphy.org/gssps/files/cenomanian.pdf. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
3. ↑ Midtkandal et al. 2016, Abstract
4. ↑ Taylor 2006, Abstract
5. ↑ Coffin & Gahagan 1995, The Plateaux, p. 1047
6. ↑ Wu et al. 2005, Abstract
7. ↑ Renne et al. 1992, Abstract
8. ↑ Seton et al. 2012, 140–120 Ma (Figs. 21 and 22)
9. ↑ Seton et al. 2012, 120–100 Ma (Figs. 22 and 23)
10. ↑ Herendeen, Patrick S.; Friis, Else Marie; Pedersen, Kaj Raunsgaard; Crane, Peter R. (2017-03-03). "Palaeobotanical redux: revisiting the age of the angiosperms" (in en). Nature Plants 3 (3): 17015. doi:10.1038/nplants.2017.15. ISSN 2055-0278. PMID 28260783. Bibcode: 2017NatPl...317015H. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nrm:diva-2274.
11. ↑ Sun et al. 2002, Abstract
12. ↑ Lee et al. 2014
13. ↑ Luo et al. 2003, Abstract
14. ↑ Archer et al. 1985, Abstract
15. ↑ Masterson, W. Dallam; Holba, Albert G. (June 2021). "North Alaska Super Basin: Petroleum systems of the central Alaskan North Slope, United States" (in en). AAPG Bulletin 105 (6): 1233–1291. doi:10.1306/01282120057. ISSN 0149-1423. Bibcode: 2021BAAPG.105.1233M. http://archives.datapages.com/data/doi/10.1306/01282120057.

### Sources

* Archer, M.; Flannery, T. F.; Ritchie, A.; Molnar, R. E. (1985). "First Mesozoic mammal from Australia—an early Cretaceous monotreme". Nature 318 (6044): 363–366. doi:10.1038/318363a0. Bibcode: 1985Natur.318..363A. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232797844. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
* Coffin, M. F.; Gahagan, L. M. (1995). "Ontong Java and Kerguelen Plateaux: Cretaceous Icelands?". Journal of the Geological Society 152 (6): 1047–1052. doi:10.1144/GSL.JGS.1995.152.01.27. Bibcode: 1995JGSoc.152.1047C.
* Lee, Michael S. Y.; Cau, A.; Naish, D.; Dyke, G. J. (2014). "Morphological Clocks in Paleontology, and a Mid-Cretaceous Origin of Crown Aves". Systematic Biology 63 (1): 442–449. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syt110. PMID 24449041. https://academic.oup.com/sysbio/article-pdf/63/3/442/9164850/syt110.pdf. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
* Luo, Z. X.; Ji, Q.; Wible, J. R.; Yuan, C. X. (2003). "An Early Cretaceous tribosphenic mammal and metatherian evolution". Science 302 (5652): 1934–1940. doi:10.1126/science.1090718. PMID 14671295. Bibcode: 2003Sci...302.1934L.
* Midtkandal, I.; Svensen, H. H.; Planke, S.; Corfu, F.; Polteau, S.; Torsvik, T. H.; Faleide, J. I.; Grundvåg, S.-A. et al. (2016). "The Aptian (Early Cretaceous) oceanic anoxic event (OAE1a) in Svalbard, Barents Sea, and the absolute age of the Barremian-Aptian boundary". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 463: 126–135. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.09.023. Bibcode: 2016PPP...463..126M.
* Renne, P. R.; Ernesto, M.; Pacca, I. G.; Coe, R. S.; Glen, J. M.; Prévot, M.; Perrin, M. (1992). "The age of Paraná flood volcanism, rifting of Gondwanaland, and the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary". Science 258 (5084): 975–979. doi:10.1126/science.258.5084.975. PMID 17794593. Bibcode: 1992Sci...258..975R.
* Seton, M.; Müller, R. D.; Zahirovic, S.; Gaina, C.; Torsvik, T.; Shephard, G.; Talsma, A.; Gurnis, M. et al. (2012). "Global continental and ocean basin reconstructions since 200Ma". Earth-Science Reviews 113 (3): 212–270. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2012.03.002. Bibcode: 2012ESRv..113..212S. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235762480. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
* Sun, G.; Ji, Q.; Dilcher, D. L.; Zheng, S.; Nixon, K. C.; Wang, X. (2002). "Archaefructaceae, a new basal angiosperm family". Science 296 (5569): 899–904. doi:10.1126/science.1069439. PMID 11988572. Bibcode: 2002Sci...296..899S. ftp://ftp.soest.hawaii.edu/engels/Stanley/Textbook_update/Science_296/Sun-02.pdf. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
* Taylor, B. (2006). "The single largest oceanic plateau: Ontong Java–Manihiki–Hikurangi". Earth and Planetary Science Letters 241 (3–4): 372–380. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2005.11.049. Bibcode: 2006E&PSL.241..372T. http://www.largeigneousprovinces.org/sites/default/files/06TaylorOJMHP.pdf. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
* Wu, F. Y.; Lin, J. Q.; Wilde, S. A.; Zhang, X. O.; Yang, J. H. (2005). "Nature and significance of the Early Cretaceous giant igneous event in eastern China". Earth and Planetary Science Letters 233 (1–2): 103–119. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2005.02.019. Bibcode: 2005E&PSL.233..103W.

Template:Cretaceous Footer

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Geological history of Earth

Cenozoic era
(present–66.0 Mya)|

| Quaternary (present–2.588 Mya)|

* Holocene (present–11.784 kya)
* Pleistocene (11.784 kya–2.588 Mya)

|

Neogene (2.588–23.03 Mya)|

* Pliocene (2.588–5.333 Mya)
* Miocene (5.333–23.03 Mya)

Paleogene (23.03–66.0 Mya)|

* Oligocene (23.03–33.9 Mya)
* Eocene (33.9–56.0 Mya)
* Paleocene (56.0–66.0 Mya)

Mesozoic era
(66.0–251.902 Mya)|

| Cretaceous (66.0–145.0 Mya)|

* Late (66.0–100.5 Mya)
* Early (100.5–145.0 Mya)

|

Jurassic (145.0–201.3 Mya)|

* Late (145.0–163.5 Mya)
* Middle (163.5–174.1 Mya)
* Early (174.1–201.3 Mya)

Triassic (201.3–251.902 Mya)|

* Late (201.3–237 Mya)
* Middle (237–247.2 Mya)
* Early (247.2–251.902 Mya)

Paleozoic era
(251.902–541.0 Mya)|

| Permian (251.902–298.9 Mya)|

* Lopingian (251.902–259.8 Mya)
* Guadalupian (259.8–272.3 Mya)
* Cisuralian (272.3–298.9 Mya)

|

Carboniferous (298.9–358.9 Mya)|

* Pennsylvanian (298.9–323.2 Mya)
* Mississippian (323.2–358.9 Mya)

Devonian (358.9–419.2 Mya)|

* Late (358.9–382.7 Mya)
* Middle (382.7–393.3 Mya)
* Early (393.3–419.2 Mya)

Silurian (419.2–443.8 Mya)|

* Pridoli (419.2–423.0 Mya)
* Ludlow (423.0–427.4 Mya)
* Wenlock (427.4–433.4 Mya)
* Llandovery (433.4–443.8 Mya)

Ordovician (443.8–485.4 Mya)|

* Late (443.8–458.4 Mya)
* Middle (458.4–470.0 Mya)
* Early (470.0–485.4 Mya)

Cambrian (485.4–541.0 Mya)|

* Furongian (485.4–497 Mya)
* Miaolingian (497–509 Mya)
* Series 2 (509–521 Mya)
* Terreneuvian (521–541.0 Mya)

Proterozoic eon
(541.0 Mya–2.5 Gya)|

| Neoproterozoic (541.0 Mya–1 Gya)|

* Ediacaran (541.0–~635 Mya)
* Cryogenian (~635–~720 Mya)
* Tonian (~720 Mya–1 Gya)

|

Mesoproterozoic (1–1.6 Gya)|

* Stenian (1–1.2 Gya)
* Ectasian (1.2–1.4 Gya)
* Calymmian (1.4–1.6 Gya)

Paleoproterozoic (1.6–2.5 Gya)|

* Statherian (1.6–1.8 Gya)
* Orosirian (1.8–2.05 Gya)
* Rhyacian (2.05–2.3 Gya)
* Siderian (2.3–2.5 Gya)

Archean eon (2.5–4 Gya)|

| Eras|

* Neoarchean (2.5–2.8 Gya)
* Mesoarchean (2.8–3.2 Gya)
* Paleoarchean (3.2–3.6 Gya)
* Eoarchean (3.6–4 Gya)

|

Hadean eon (4–4.6 Gya)|

|  |

|

kya = thousands years ago. Mya = millions years ago. Gya = billions years ago.
See also: Geologic time scale

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