When was the Cretaceous period?

About 250 to 200 million years ago

What are the White Cliffs of Dover mostly made of?

Chalk from tiny plankton shells

Which groups survived the extinction?

Birds, mammals, crocodiles and turtles

The Cretaceous Period Quiz – Facts Worth Knowing

The Cretaceous period ended when an asteroid struck Chicxulub in Mexico 66 million years ago, and the cretaceous period quiz explores everything that came before. Learn how flowering plants spread, why the White Cliffs of Dover are made of tiny shells and how T. rex, Triceratops and Spinosaurus fit in.

Start the Cretaceous Period Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Dates
When was the Cretaceous period?
Name
What does Cretaceous refer to?
Dover
What are the White Cliffs of Dover mostly made of?
Flowers
What major plant group spread during the Cretaceous?
Asteroid
Where did the asteroid that ended the Cretaceous hit?
Iridium
Which element layer helped prove the impact theory?
Dinosaurs
Which dinosaurs lived in the Late Cretaceous?
Sea level
What was sea level like in the Cretaceous?
Survivors
Which groups survived the extinction?
Deccan
Which massive volcanic eruptions also occurred near the end?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: When was the Cretaceous period?
Answer: About 145 to 66 million years ago
It is the longest Mesozoic period.
Q2: What does Cretaceous refer to?
Answer: Chalk
From Latin creta.
Q3: What are the White Cliffs of Dover mostly made of?
Answer: Chalk from tiny plankton shells
Coccolithophores formed them.
Q4: What major plant group spread during the Cretaceous?
Answer: Flowering plants
Bees and flowers evolved together.
Q5: Where did the asteroid that ended the Cretaceous hit?
Answer: Chicxulub, Mexico
The crater is about 180 km wide.
Q6: Which element layer helped prove the impact theory?
Answer: Iridium
Luis and Walter Alvarez found it.
Q7: Which dinosaurs lived in the Late Cretaceous?
Answer: T. rex and Triceratops
They lived at the very end.
Q8: What was sea level like in the Cretaceous?
Answer: Much higher than today
Inland seas covered continents.
Q9: Which groups survived the extinction?
Answer: Birds, mammals, crocodiles and turtles
About three quarters of species died.
Q10: Which massive volcanic eruptions also occurred near the end?
Answer: Deccan Traps in India
They may have added to the crisis.

The Cretaceous Period Quiz – The Last Age of Dinosaurs

The Cretaceous period lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago, making it the longest part of the age of dinosaurs. Its name comes from the Latin word for chalk, after the thick chalk deposits laid down in warm seas.

During the Cretaceous, flowering plants spread across the land, and continents moved toward their modern positions. Sea levels were high, with inland seas covering parts of North America and Europe. Dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops and Spinosaurus lived during this time.

The period ended with an asteroid impact at Chicxulub in Mexico, supported by an iridium layer discovered by Luis and Walter Alvarez. Combined with Deccan Traps volcanism, it wiped out the non-bird dinosaurs and many other groups.

What This Quiz Teaches

Dinosaur fans and students will enjoy these questions.

When the Cretaceous was
What chalk cliffs reveal
Which plants spread
How it ended
Which animals survived

Did You Know?

Mosasaurs ruled Cretaceous seas.
Ants and bees diversified then.
Argentinosaurus lived in the Cretaceous.
Snakes evolved in the Cretaceous.
Birds diversified alongside dinosaurs.