The Jurassic Period

dinosaurs · ancient Earth · geology · Mesozoic Era

Age of dinosaurs. The Jurassic Period lasted about 58 million years and was the second and middle period of the Mesozoic Era, when dinosaurs were the dominant animals on Earth.

Named after mountains. The Jurassic gets its name from the Jura Mountains in Europe, where scientists first found and identified rock layers from this ancient time.

Continents were moving. During the Jurassic, the Earth's continents were still shifting and moving into new positions, slowly changing the shape of our planet.

Very long ago. The Jurassic Period happened between 201 million and 143 million years ago, making it one of the longest stretches of geologic time in Earth's history.

Limestone rocks remain. Scientists can study the Jurassic Period by examining limestone and other rock layers left behind from that time, which tell us the story of what life was like back then.