| System (period) | Series (epoch) | Stage (age) | Lower boundary, Ma | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cretaceous | Lower | Berriasian | ~145 | |
| Jurassic | Upper (Late) | Tithonian | 149.2±0.7 | |
| Kimmeridgian |  154.8±0.8
| |||
| Oxfordian | 161.5±1.0 | |||
| Middle | Callovian | 165.3±1.1 | ||
| Bathonian | 168.2±1.2
| |||
| Bajocian | 170.9±0.8
| |||
| Aalenian | 174.7±0.8
| |||
| Lower (Early) | Toarcian | 184.2±0.3
| ||
| Pliensbachian | 192.9±0.3
| |||
| Sinemurian | 199.5±0.3
| |||
| Hettangian | 201.4±0.2
| |||
| Triassic | Upper | Rhaetian | older | |
| Subdivisions and "golden spikes" according to IUGS as of September 2023[1] | ||||
The Tithonian is a third stage of the Upper Jurassic series, corresponding to the Tithonian age of the Late Jurassic epoch. It lasted from approximately 149.2 Ma to around 145 Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Kimmeridgian and is followed by the Berriasian age of the next Cretaceous period. In East Europe this stage is sometimes called the "Volgian" due to the unique features of the sediments along the Volga river bed.
Definition[]
As of 2024, there is still no GSSP defining the base of the Tithonian. The candidates are sections in mountains of France and Germany with the First Appearing Datum (FAD) of the ammonite genus Gravesia as the possible marker of the lower boundary of this stage.[2]
Tithonian life[]
There were still many ichthyosaurs in the seas, feeding on a variety of small fish and cephalopods. Undorosaurus and other Tithonian ichthyosaurs belong to the family Ophthalmosauridae, the last ichthyosaur family in Earth history. Pliosaurids like Simolestes were the largest marine predators of that time.
Numerous dinosaurs, similar to their Kimmeridgian predecessors, lived on land. A typical Tithonian fauna is represented by the Tendaguru Formation in Tanzania. Kentrosaurus, a stegosaurid, defended itself from predators with the help of sharp spines that covered its back, tail, sides and hips. Sauropods like Dicraeosaurus and Tornieria ate low and high vegetation. Giraffatitan, with its elongated forelimbs and high neck, was well suited for eating leaves in the treetops. By this time, the avialans, from which modern birds evolved, had spread. The most famous of them, Archaeopteryx, were found in the Tithonian strata of Germany. However, pterosaurs remained the dominant flying animals. Rhamphorhynchus had a long tail and long sharp teeth, with which they easily caught fish. Pterodactylus had the short tail. Both of them as well as Archaeopteryx are known from the Solnhofen limestone of Bavaria, Germany.
References[]
- ↑ "Latest version of international chronostratigraphic chart". International Commission on Stratigraphy. https://stratigraphy.org/chart#latest-version.
- ↑ "GSSP Table - Mesozoic Era". https://timescalefoundation.org/gssp/index.php?parentid=35.