Upper Triassic

The Upper Triassic is the last epoch in the Triassic period. It began 237 million years ago and ended 201.3 million years ago. It happened after the Middle Triassic epoch and before the Lower Jurassic epoch.

Coelophysis, one of the first dinosaurs, appeared in the Upper Triassic epoch.

Many early dinosaur species appeared for the first time during the Upper Triassic such as Plateosaurus, Coelophysis, and Eoraptor. The discovery of Herrerasaurus makes it quite clear that the dinosaurs were taking hold of the land environments.

Pterosaurs were common in the air, and ichthyosaurs dominated the seas.

At the end of the Upper Triassic, some event or events caused the extinction of many animal species worldwide during the end–Triassic extinction event. It was similar to the more famous event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. No one knows for sure what caused the event.

Carnian Pluvial Event

Although the Triassic period was, in general, a dry period with the inland areas often being deserts, the Upper Triassic epoch saw a big change.

The Carnian Pluvial Event (CPE) was a major global climate change and biotic turnover with many extinctions. It was early in the Upper Triassic, about 230 million years ago.^[1][2] Shifts in carbon and oxygen isotopes suggest a global warming.^[3][4][5]

Major changes in organisms responsible for calcium carbonate production occurred during the CPE.^[6][7][8] Carbonate sedimentation stopped in deep water settings of Southern Italy.^[9]

High extinction rates occurred among ammonoids, conodonts, bryozoa and crinoids.^[1] Major evolutionary innovations followed the CPE. The dinosaurs became established (dominant). In the seas there were calcareous nanofossils and scleractinian corals.^[2][3]