Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which stages make up the Late Triassic Epoch?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Triassic Period
Distribution of landmasses, mountainous regions, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins during the early Triassic Period. Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are the locations of the interval's subduction zones.
The Late Triassic Epoch, which corresponds to the Upper Triassic Series, is composed of three internationally recognized stages. In chronological order, these are:1
- Carnian Stage: The lowermost division of the Late Triassic, representing the time interval from approximately 235 million to 228 million years ago.12
- Norian Stage: The middle division, which underlies the Rhaetian Stage and overlies the Carnian Stage.123
- Rhaetian Stage: The uppermost division of the Late Triassic, representing the time interval from approximately 208.5 million to 201.3 million years ago.13
These stages were primarily established based on marine strata found in the Alpine region of Europe, though they are now correlated globally using index fossils such as ammonoids.143