Meaning & use
Triassic
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounpropertechnical
The first period of the Mesozoic era, lasting from about 252 to 201 million years ago.
Grammar: Always capitalized; usually appears as 'the Triassic' or before 'period'.
Patterns
- the Triassic period
- during the Triassic
- in the Triassic
The Triassic period began after the largest mass extinction in Earth's history.
Many modern groups of reptiles first appeared during the Triassic.
Fossils from the Triassic are found on every continent.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Belonging to or dating from the Triassic period.
Grammar: Used before a noun, as in 'Triassic rocks' or 'Triassic fossils'.
Patterns
- Triassic rocks
- Triassic fossils
- Triassic sediments
The cliff face is made of Triassic sandstone.
Triassic fossils in this area include early dinosaurs.
Geologists mapped the Triassic layers along the river.
Common combinations
- the Triassic period
- The Triassic period ended with another major extinction event.
- Triassic rocks
- These Triassic rocks were formed in a desert environment.
- during the Triassic
- During the Triassic, the continents were joined as Pangaea.
- Late Triassic
- The first true dinosaurs appeared in the Late Triassic.
Word family
- Trias noun
- An older name for the Triassic system of rocks.
Commonly confused: Triassic or Jurassic? Triassic or Tertiary?
Triassic vs Jurassic
The Jurassic is the period that came after the Triassic, from about 201 to 145 million years ago.
Triassic vs Tertiary
The Tertiary is a much later geological period, part of the Cenozoic era.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'Triassic' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The Triassic is a period of the Mesozoic era, so option 1 is correct. Option 0 is wrong because the Triassic is a time period, not a rock type; option 2 is wrong because it is not a type of animal; option 3 is wrong because the Triassic began about 252 million years ago, not 66 million.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Triassic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.