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In the geological timescale, the Tithonian is the latest age of the Late Jurassic Epoch and the uppermost stage of the Upper Jurassic Series. It spans the time between 152.1 ± 4 Ma and 145.0 ± 4 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Kimmeridgian and followed by the
Berriasian In the geological timescale, the Berriasian is an age/stage of the Early/Lower Cretaceous. It is the oldest subdivision in the entire Cretaceous. It has been taken to span the time between 145.0 ± 4.0 Ma and 139.8 ± 3.0 Ma (million years ag ...
(part of the
Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
).See for a detailed version of the geologic timescale Gradstein ''et al.'' (2004)


Stratigraphic definitions

The Tithonian was introduced in scientific literature by German stratigrapher Albert Oppel in 1865. The name Tithonian is unusual in geological stage names because it is derived from
Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities o ...
.
Tithonus In Greek mythology, Tithonus ( or ; grc, Τιθωνός, Tithonos) was the lover of Eos, Goddess of the Dawn. He was a prince of Troy, the son of King Laomedon by the Naiad Strymo (Στρυμώ). The mythology reflected by the fifth-century vas ...
was the son of Laomedon of
Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
and fell in love with Eos, the Greek goddess of
dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's ...
. His name was chosen by Albert Oppel for this
stratigraphical Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers ( strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigraphy has three related subfields: lithostrat ...
stage because the Tithonian finds itself hand in hand with the dawn of the Cretaceous. The base of the Tithonian stage is at the base of the
ammonite Ammonoids are a group of extinct marine mollusc animals in the subclass Ammonoidea of the class Cephalopoda. These molluscs, commonly referred to as ammonites, are more closely related to living coleoids (i.e., octopuses, squid and cuttlefis ...
biozone of '' Hybonoticeras hybonotum''. A global reference profile (a GSSP or golden spike) for the base of the Tithonian had in 2009 not yet been established. The top of the Tithonian stage (the base of the Berriasian Stage and the Cretaceous
System A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment, is described by its boundaries, structure and purpose and express ...
) is marked by the first appearance of small globular calpionellids of the species '' Calpionella alpina'', at the base of the Alpina Subzone .


Subdivision

The Tithonian is often subdivided into Lower/Early, Middle and Upper/Late substages or subages. The Late Tithonian is coeval with the
Portlandian The Portland Group (defining the Portlandian) is a Late Jurassic (Tithonian) lithostratigraphic group (a sequence of rock strata) in South East England. The name is derived from the Isle of Portland in Dorset where the strata are exposed and h ...
Age of British stratigraphy. The Tithonian stage contains seven ammonite biozones in the Tethys domain, from top to base: * zone of '' Durangites'' * zone of '' Micracanthoceras micranthum'' * zone of ''Micracanthoceras ponti'' or '' Burckardticeras peroni'' * zone of '' Semiformiceras fallauxi'' * zone of ''Semiformiceras semiforme'' * zone of ''Semiformiceras darwini'' * zone of ''Hybonoticeras hybonotum''


Sedimentary environments

Sedimentary rocks that formed in the Tethys Ocean during the Tithonian include limestones, which preserve fossilized remains of, for example,
cephalopod A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda ( Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head ...
s. The Solnhofen limestone of southern Germany, which is known for its fossils (especially ''
Archaeopteryx ''Archaeopteryx'' (; ), sometimes referred to by its German name, "" ( ''Primeval Bird''), is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The name derives from the ancient Greek (''archaīos''), meaning "ancient", and (''ptéryx''), meaning "feather" ...
''), is of Tithonian age.


References


Notes


Literature

*; (2004): A Geologic Time Scale 2004,
Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pr ...
. *; 1865: ''Die Tithonische Etage'', Zeitschrift der Deutschen Geologischen Gesellschaft, 1865: pp 535–558.


External links


GeoWhen Database - TithonianJurassic-Cretaceous timescale
at the website of the subcommission for stratigraphic information of the ICS
Stratigraphic chart of the Upper Jurassic
at the website of Norges Network of offshore records of geology and stratigraphy {{Geological history, p, m *03 Geological ages