The Cretaceous is a geologic period spanning approximately 145 to 66 million years ago, forming the final period of the Mesozoic Era. It is characterized by high eustatic sea levels, extensive epicontinental seas, and a warm greenhouse climate with minimal polar ice. Tectonically, it saw continued breakup of Pangea, expansion of the Atlantic Ocean, and major episodes of oceanic plateau and large igneous province formation. Biologically, it is marked by diversification of angiosperms, complex marine plankton communities, and dominant non-avian dinosaurs, and it terminates at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, defined globally by a mass extinction horizon and an iridium-rich layer.
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