Cretaceous

The Cretaceous (kriːˈteɪʃəs), Latin for "chalky", usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide (chalk), is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago (Ma). In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic Period and is followed by the Paleogene Period of the Cenozoic Era. It is the youngest period of the Mesozoic Era, and at 80 million years long, the longest period of the Phanerozoic Eon. The end of the Cretaceous defines the boundary between the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras. In many languages this period is known as "chalk period".