Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How long did the Cretaceous Period last?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Cretaceous Period
Distribution of landmasses, mountainous regions, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins during the late Cretaceous Period. Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are the locations of the interval's subduction zones.
The Cretaceous Period lasted for 79 million years. It began 145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago, marking it as the longest period of the Phanerozoic Eon.12