Lexic.us

Definition of Cretaceous

1. Adjective. Abounding in chalk.

2. Noun. From 135 million to 63 million years ago; end of the age of reptiles; appearance of modern insects and flowering plants.

3. Adjective. Of or relating to or denoting the third period of the Mesozoic era.

Definition of Cretaceous

1. a. Having the qualities of chalk; abounding with chalk; chalky; as, cretaceous rocks and formations. See Chalk.

2. a. Of, pertaining to, or designating, the period of time following the Jurassic and preceding the Eocene.

Definition of Cretaceous

1. Proper noun. (geology) The geologic period within the Mesozoic era that comprises lower and upper epochs from about 146 to 65 million years ago ¹

2. Adjective. Of or relating to chalk. ¹

3. Adjective. Consisting of chalk. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Cretaceous

Creek Confederacy Creeks Crees Creighton Cremona Cremonas Crenosoma vulpis Creole Creoles Creon

Crepis Crescentia Crescentia cujete Cretacean Cretaceans Cretaceous Cretaceous period Cretacious Cretan Crete

Creuse Creutzfeld Jacob disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Crewe Crex Crex crex Cricetidae Cricetinae Cricetus Cricetus cricetus

Literary usage of Cretaceous

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1896)
"Marsh, in his previous papers, has transferred the Wealden epoch from the base of the Lower cretaceous to the top of the Jurassic ; and the tenor of the ..."

2. Geology by Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin, Rollin D. Salisbury (1906)
"deposition of the Lower cretaceous beds, and before the deposition of the Upper ... The Upper cretaceous is represented in New Zealand, where beds of coarse ..."

3. Geology by Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin, Rollin D. Salisbury (1906)
"deposition of the Lower cretaceous beds, and before the deposition of the Upper ... The Upper cretaceous is represented in New Zealand, where beds of coarse ..."

4. Bulletin by Virginia Geological Survey, Virginia Division of Geology (1913)
"The fossils comprise plant remains of Lower cretaceous types. The exposed thickness of the Patapsco beds may be 150 feet. The formation dips east about 30 ..."

5. An Introduction to Geology by William Berryman Scott (1907)
"CHAPTER XXXIV THE cretaceous PERIOD THE name cretaceous is derived from the Latin word for chalk (Creta), because in England, where the name was early used, ..."

6. The Journal of Geology by University of Chicago Department of Geology and Paleontology (1897)
"For example, near the middle of cretaceous time or at the beginning of the ... The advance of the sea commenced with the cretaceous, covering nearly all of ..."

7. Elements of Geology: A Text-book for Colleges and for the General Reader by Joseph Le Conte (1903)
"cretaceous PERIOD. The most general characteristic of this period is its transitional ... In most places in America the cretaceous lie unconformably on the ..."

8. An Introduction to Historical Geology: With Special Reference to North America by William John Miller (1916)
"THE term cretaceous, from the Latin "Creta" for chalk, was given to the period ... In many parts of the world, however, the cretaceous system is not rich in ..."

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