Aconcagua
The Mesozoic Era
Great changes took place on the earth’s surface during this period. Pangaea broke up into smaller continents which started drifting apart from each other, a phenomenon which is still occurring today.
Together with the supercontinent break-up, abundant material from the interior of the earth (magma) came up to the surface, in a time of intense volcanism. By the end of the Mesozoic, the temperature on the earth’s surface was between 8ºC and 10ºC higher than today.
Dinosaurs, the most successful group of animals which has ever inhabited the earth, were born, evolved and disappeared during the 165 Ma of the Mesozoic period.
They evolved from reptiles no larger than chickens and diversified in such a way that they occupied every ecological niche: land, sea and air.
This era came to an end with a global catastrophe, responsible not only for the extinction of dinosaurs, but also of 70% of the existing species.
