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Where is the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary stratotype located?
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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-Paleogene (K-P) boundary, formerly known as the K-T boundary, is defined by a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) located near the town of El-Kef in Tunisia.12
This site, ratified by the International Commission on Stratigraphy in 1991, marks the base of the Danian Stage, which serves as the oldest division of the Paleogene Period and the beginning of the Cenozoic Era. The boundary represents a critical point in the rock record, estimated to be approximately 66 million years old, where the Maastrichtian Stage of the Cretaceous Period concludes.21