Late Triassic Period

Spanning roughly 237 to 201 million years ago, the Late Triassic encompassed the Carnian, Norian, and Rhaetian ages. The supercontinent Pangaea began rifting apart while early dinosaurs including Coelophysis, Herrerasaurus, and Plateosaurus emerged alongside dominant crurotarsan archosaurs. Hot, semiarid conditions prevailed across Pangaea's interior with seasonal monsoons along coastal regions. The period ended with massive flood basalt eruptions of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, triggering an extinction that eliminated 76-86% of species and cleared ecological niches for dinosaur dominance in the Jurassic.