Lesson 10) Palaeogeography and Plate Tectonics

Question 1

Alfred Wegener

Answer 1

Came up with Pangaea // continental drift

problem: he did not show how bigass land masses were able to move like dat

• The reason why Triassic and Jurassic Dino’s were found all over the world— bc there where no borders

Question 2

Name Earth layer orders (outermost -> middle)

Answer 2

1. Crust: 2-25 km

2. mantle: 2500 km

3. core:

Question 3

Mantle

Name parts of the mantle (outermost -> middle)

Answer 3

2nd.
Viscous that flows

1. Lithosphere: Upper portion solid, composed of discrete pieces that fit together

2. Asthenosphere:
- slow, viscous
- Shape deformed under uneven weight of lithosphere

Question 4

Core

Name parts of the core (outermost -> innermost)

Answer 4

Iron and Nickel

1. Outer Core:: molten liquid

2. Inner core: Solid ball
- 5700 degrees C

Question 5

Convection Currents

Answer 5

Caused by extreme heat of Earth’s inner layers

Asthenosphere - Heat/expand -> cool/sink

Question 6

Plates

Answer 6

Pieces of lithosphere affected by convection currents

Question 7

Plate Tectonics

Answer 7

Movement of lithosphere
- Explain continental drift

Question 8

What periods was Pangaea made in between?

Answer 8

Permian <-> Triassic

Question 9

Panthalassa

Answer 9

Single super ocean

Question 10

Diplodocids

Answer 10

Jurassic VERY long neck sauropods
- Shorter front legs<hind
- weird ass faces
- Peggy teeth at front of mouths
- high browser
- Gone extinct early Cretaceous

Question 11

Macronarians

Answer 11

Jurassic sauropods
- do not have whip tail
- robust
- No leg differences: however in some Dino’s (eg— brachiosaurus and giraffatitans) front>back
- Long necks
- High browser

Question 12

Ecological niche

Answer 12

Animal’s job in the ecosystem (and what it does to survive)

Question 13

Niche partitioning

Answer 13

Ecological phenomenon of which two species w/ similar niches can avoid direct competition.

Eg) Diplodocids are adapted to eat and reach high foliage, while macronarians were less picky eaters and could eat more types of hardy food bc they more teeth (ate what Diplodocids left behind)

Question 14

Thyreophorans

Answer 14

Jurrasic herbivorian orinthischians w/ body armor
- eg) stegosaurus
- African Asia Europe, NA

Question 15

Ornithopods

Answer 15

Small Jurassic ornithischians
- Small, but had long legs for speed

Question 16

Allosaurid

Answer 16

carnivorous dinosaurs that reigned supreme in Jurrasic
- Stiff spines
- long legs -> fast
- eg) allosaurus

Question 17

Coelurosaurs

Answer 17

Jurrasic carnivores
- Narrow heads, long Sarah vertebrae, lightweight tails
- small
- eg) Compsoganthus
- Evolved into BIRDS

Question 18

What were the two continents that Pangaea split into? When did it happen?

Answer 18

During the Jurassic Pangaea split into :
1
1. Laurasia: northern
- NA, EUR, Asia

2. Gondwana: southern
- SA, AUS, Africa, Antarctica, Madagascar, India

They did not split into todays continents until long after dinosaur extinction

Question 19

What are some Early Cretacian Dino’s in NA and Europe?

Answer 19

Iguanodontians, ankylosaurs, brachiosaurids

Question 20

What are some Early Cretacian Dino’s in Africa?

Answer 20

Spinosaurs, carcharodontosaurids

Question 21

What are some Early Cretacian Dino’s in Asia?

Answer 21

Coelurosaurian, ceratopsians

Question 22

Titanosaurs

Answer 22

New type of macronarian that dominated in the late Cretaceous.
- Most robust sauropod
- Broad and wife, limbs spaced apart for stability
- Many had osteoderms/armor
- eg) argentinosaurus- the largest creature on Earth.
- More common in Gondwana

Question 23

Carchadontosaur

Answer 23

Late Cretaceous theropods
- shark teeth
- type of allosauroid
- bigger heads, longer jaws
- some of the biggest theropods
- *eg) gigantosaurus (outsizes tyrannosaurus rex!)

Question 24

Abelisaurs

Answer 24

Late Cretaceous carnivores of SA
- last survivors of ceratosaurids
- short muzzles and tiny teeth
- short, stubby arms
- hunted less difficult prey compared to carchadontosaurs to fill ecological niche

Question 25

Ankylosaurids

Answer 25

Ankylosaurs with famous tail clubs - backwards pointing horns at skull rear - short round snout

Question 26

Nodosaurids

Answer 26

ANkylosaurs that lacked tail clubs , but had other weapons like osteoderms - No skull horns - Snouts narrow and elongated

Question 27

Hadrosaurs

Answer 27

Iguanodonts that evolved in late Cretaceous - Northerns most successful herbivores

Question 28

Lambeosaurine

Answer 28

Advanced hadrosaurs - big crest on head which inside is a nasal passageway - BLowing air thru passage amplifys calls

Question 29

Hadrosaurines

Answer 29

Advanced hadrosaurs - Some not all had crests (*eg) Saurolophu, Edmontonosaurus*)

Question 30

Marginocephalians

Answer 30

“Fringe heads” HErbivorous dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous - overhanging lip bone at back margin of skull - Two major groups 1. Pachycephalosaurs 2. Marginocephalians

Question 31

Primitive ceratopsians

Answer 31

Small bipedal dinosaurs - Large beaks - small cheek horns - *eg) Psittacosaurus* - more Asian More advanced ceratopsians: - *eg) riceratoprs* - Exclusively NA

Question 32

Tyrannosaurs

Answer 32

Descendants of coelurosaurs That dominated late Cretaceous Laurasia - Evolved even longer legs and much stiffer vertebral column - big skulls and jaw muscles - As they evolved, they asses got chibi proportions so to compensate for they bigass heads they lost weight in arms and hands (refer to Tyrannosaurus rex)

Question 33

Ornithomimids

Answer 33

Cretaceous coelurosaur - Ostrich-like - Long clawed for limbs + large tail - not predatory

Question 34

Maniraptorans

Answer 34

Cretaceous coelurosaurs that developed **semulinate carpals:** crescent bones that let hand fold backwards sharply - can be birds (carpals let birds fold wings)

Question 35

Oviraptorosaurs

Answer 35

Manoraptorian theropods of Cretaceous - large and vegetarian - lost teeth for beaks - Cranial crests - feather fan tails

Question 36

Dromaeosaurs

Answer 36

Cretaceous maniraptorians - Sickle-clawed

Question 37

Therizinosaurs

Answer 37

Cretaceous laurasian maniraptorian coelurosaur theropods - Weird ass bitches - BIG ASS CLAWS - small skulls, long neck - hind feet walker - close relatives to oviraptorosaurs

Question 38

Faunal Interchange

Answer 38

Phenomenon when plate tectonics bring continents that were once separated, back together *eg) Asia and NA w/ similar dinos*

Question 39

Why tf was in so hot in the Mesozoic Era?

Answer 39

Largely bc of volcanic activity releasing large amounts of CO2. Some other reasons include: 1. Only 2 continents, which affected air circulation and water currents - Ocean currents distribute heat between places

Question 40

Why tf were sea level changing in the Mesozoic Era?

Answer 40

BC it was so hot polar icecaps and glaciers did not exist (. They were liquid!!!). Also thermal expansion HAHAHA my oatmeal exploded in the microwave bc of that

Question 41

During the Mesozoic, NA was divided onto separate island subcontinents:

Answer 41

Laramidia: West Appalachia: East