Mesozoic Geology

Mesozoic means "middle animals", and is the time during which the world fauna altered radically from that which had been seen in the Paleozoic era. The Mesozoic era lasted until around 65 million years ago and it is split up into three different periods, the most ancient of these periods was the Triassic followed by the Jurassic, and finally the Cretaceous Periods. This era started with the commencement of the dinosaur and ended with the development of the beginning form of mammals.

The animal life multiplied in great numbers during the Mesozoic era. Also great areas of the North American continent were inundated for the last time. The Sierra Nevada Mountains that start in Nevada and California and go into the British Columbia were formed as well. During this time the igneous intrusions also formed some of the biggest and richest gold producing veins in the world. The Rocky Mountains were also formed during the Cretaceous Period and plant and animal life were buried in great amounts and this is when many of the fossils were formed.