Late Triassic

System	Series	Stage	Age (Ma)
Jurassic	Lower	Hettangian	younger
Triassic	Upper	Rhaetian	201.3–208.5
		Norian	208.5–~228
		Carnian	~228–~235
	Middle	Ladinian	~235–~242
		Anisian	~242–247.2
	Lower	Olenekian	247.2–251.2
		Induan	251.2–252.2
Permian	Lopingian	Changhsingian	older
Subdivision of the Triassic system according to the IUGS, as of July 2012.

The Late Triassic is in the geologic timescale the third and final of three epochs of the Triassic period. The corresponding series is known as the Upper Triassic. In the past it was sometimes called the Keuper, after a German lithostratigraphic group (a sequence of rock strata) that has a roughly corresponding age. The Late Triassic spans the time between ~235 Ma and 201.3 ± 0.2 Ma (million years ago). The Late Triassic is divided into the Carnian, Norian and Rhaetian ages.

Many of the first dinosaurs evolved during the Late Triassic, including Plateosaurus, Coelophysis, and Eoraptor.

Paleogeography and tectonics

Africa shared Pangea's relatively uniform fauna which was dominated by theropods, prosauropods and primitive ornithischians by the close of the Triassic period. Late Triassic fossils are found throughout Africa, but are more common in the south than north.

The boundary separating the Triassic and Jurassic marks the advent of an extinction event with global impact, although African strata from this time period have not been thoroughly studied. In the area of Tübingen (Germany), a Triassic-Jurassic bonebed can be found, which is characteristic for this boundary.

See also

• Triassic–Jurassic extinction event

Additional reading

• GeoWhen Database - Late Triassic