The Campanian is the fifth of six
ages of the
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', the ...
Epoch
In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured.
The moment of epoch is usually decided by ...
on the
geologic timescale
The geologic time scale, or geological time scale, (GTS) is a representation of time based on the rock record of Earth. It is a system of chronological dating that uses chronostratigraphy (the process of relating strata to time) and geochr ...
of the
International Commission on Stratigraphy
The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), sometimes referred to unofficially as the "International Stratigraphic Commission", is a daughter or major subcommittee grade scientific daughter organization that concerns itself with stratigra ...
(ICS). In
chronostratigraphy
Chronostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy that studies the ages of rock strata in relation to time.
The ultimate aim of chronostratigraphy is to arrange the sequence of deposition and the time of deposition of all rocks within a geologic ...
, it is the fifth of six
stages
Stage or stages may refer to:
Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper
* S ...
in the
Upper Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''creta'', th ...
Series
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used in ...
. Campanian spans the time from 83.6 (± 0.2) to 72.1 (± 0.2) million years ago. It is preceded by the
Santonian
The Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 86.3 ± 0.7 mya (million years ago) and 83.6 ± 0.7 mya. ...
and it is followed by the
Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian () is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the latest age (uppermost stage) of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series, the Cretaceous Period or System, and of the Mesozoic Era or Erathem. It spanned the interval ...
.
The Campanian was an age when a worldwide
sea level rise
Globally, sea levels are rising due to human-caused climate change. Between 1901 and 2018, the globally averaged sea level rose by , or 1–2 mm per year on average.IPCC, 2019Summary for Policymakers InIPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cry ...
covered many coastal areas. The
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
* Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
* Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...
of some of these areas has been preserved: it is an
unconformity
An unconformity is a buried erosional or non-depositional surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous. In general, the older layer was exposed to erosion for an interval ...
beneath a cover of marine
sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...
s.
Etymology
The Campanian was introduced in scientific literature by
Henri Coquand Henri Coquand (1813, in Aix-en-Provence – 1881, in Marseille) was a French geologist and paleontologist.
In 1841 he obtained his doctorate in sciences in Paris, and later served as a professor of geology at the University of Besançon, Poitie ...
in 1857. It is named after the French village of
Champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...
in the department of
Charente-Maritime
Charente-Maritime () is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on the southwestern coast of France. Named after the river Charente, its prefecture is La Rochelle. As of 2019, it had a population of 651,358 with an area of 6,864 square kil ...
. The original
type locality was a series of
outcrop
An outcrop or rocky outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth.
Features
Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficia ...
near the village of
Aubeterre-sur-Dronne in the same region.
Definition
The base of the Campanian Stage is defined as a place in the stratigraphic column where the
extinction
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
of
crinoid
Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms are called feather stars or comatulids, which are ...
species ''
Marsupites
''Marsupites'' is an extinct genus of crinoids from the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous.[Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point
A Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) is an internationally agreed upon reference point on a stratigraphic section which defines the lower boundary of a stage on the geologic time scale. The effort to define GSSPs is conducted b ...]
or GSSP had not yet been ratified as of 2009: one possible candidate is a section near a dam at
Waxahachie, Texas
Waxahachie ( ) is the seat of government of Ellis County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,140 in 2020.
Etymology
Some sources state that the name means "cow" or "buffalo" in an unspecified Native American language. One possible ...
.) The top of the Campanian stage is defined as the place in the stratigraphic column where the
ammonite ''
Pachydiscus
''Pachydiscus'' is an extinct genus of Ammonitina, ammonite from the Late Cretaceous and Early Paleocene with a worldwide distribution, and type for the desmoceratacean family Pachydiscidae. The genus' type species is ''P. neubergicus''. Altogeth ...
neubergicus'' first appears.
Subdivisions
The Campanian can be subdivided into Lower, Middle and Upper Subages. In the western interior of the United States, the base of the Middle Campanian is defined as the first occurrence of the ammonite ''
Baculites obtusus
''Baculites'' ("walking stick rock") is an extinct genus of cephalopods with a nearly straight shell, included in the heteromorph ammonites. The genus, which lived worldwide throughout most of the Late Cretaceous, and which briefly survived the ...
'' (80.97 Ma) and the base of the Upper Campanian defined as the first occurrence of the ammonite ''
Didymoceras nebrascense
''Didymoceras nebrascense'' was an extinct species of heteromorph ammonite from the upper Campanian age (around 83 to 70 million years ago). It was sexually dimorphic, with two adult sizes averaging at and high for females and males respectivel ...
.'' (76.27 Ma) In the
Tethys domain, the Campanian encompasses six ammonite
biozone
In biostratigraphy, biostratigraphic units or biozones are intervals of geological strata that are defined on the basis of their characteristic fossil taxa, as opposed to a lithostratigraphic unit which is defined by the lithological properties ...
s. They are, from young to old:
* zone of ''
Nostoceras
''Nostoceras'' is an extinct genus of ammonites. The etymology of the name ''Nostoceras'' comes from "nostos" meaning return and "ceros" meaning horn, named as such by Alpheus Hyatt because it bends back on itself.
Taxonomy
''Nostoceras'' is the ...
hyatti''
* zone of ''
Didymoceras
''Didymoceras'' is an extinct genus of ammonite cephalopod from the Late Cretaceous epoch (approximately 76 Ma). It is one of the most bizarrely shaped genera, with a shell that spirals upwards into a loose, hooked tip. It is thought to have drif ...
chayennense''
* zone of ''
Bostrychoceras
''Bostrychoceras'' is a genus of heteromorph ammonite from the family Nostoceratidae. Fossils have been found in Late Cretaceous sediments in Europe and North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and alm ...
polyplocum''
* zone of ''
Hoplitoplacenticeras marroti'' / ''Hoplitoplacenticeras vari''
* zone of ''
Delawarella delawarensis''
* zone of ''
Placenticeras
''Placenticeras'' is a genus of ammonites from the Late Cretaceous. Its fossils have been found in Asia, Europe, North and South America.
Taxonomy
''Placenticeras'', named by Fielding Bradford Meek, 1870, is the type genus for the Placenticerat ...
bidorsatum''
Paleontology
During the Campanian age, a
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...
among
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
species occurred. In North America, for example, the number of known dinosaur
genera rises from 4 at the base of the Campanian to 48 in the upper part. This development is sometimes referred to as the "Campanian Explosion". However, it is not yet clear if the event is artificial, i.e. the low number of genera in the lower Campanian can be caused by a lower preservation chance for fossils in deposits of that age. The generally warm climates and large continental area covered in shallow sea during the Campanian probably favoured the dinosaurs. In the following Maastrichtian stage, the number of North American dinosaur genera found is 30% less than in the upper Campanian.
[See Weishampel ''et al.'' (2004)]
References
Further reading
* Varricchio, D. J. 2001. Late Cretaceous oviraptorosaur (Theropoda) dinosaurs from Montana. pp. 42–57 in D. H. Tanke and K. Carpenter (eds.), Mesozoic Vertebrate Life. Indiana University Press, Indianapolis, Indiana.
* ; 2004: ''Dinosaur distribution'', in: (''eds.''): ''The Dinosauria'', University of California Press, Berkeley (2nd ed.), , pp 517–606.
External links
GeoWhen Database – CampanianLate Cretaceous timescale at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS
Stratigraphic chart of the Late Cretaceous at the website of Norges Network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy
Campanian Microfossils: 75+ images of Foraminifera
{{Geological history, p, m
*05
Geological ages
Cretaceous geochronology