Dinosaur footprints in sandstone at the bottom of ancient lakes in the Dzungarian Basin in northwestern China suggest
Before the widely known mass extinctiondinosaurs associated with a meteorite hitting the Earth and the subsequent global winter, there was another Triassic-Jurassic extinction event that occurred 202 million years ago. As a result, a large number of large reptiles died, which cleared the way for other dinosaurs.
It turned out that the dinosaurs of the Triassic periodcalmly survived extreme cold conditions and, moreover, mainly lived in the polar zones. The reptiles, accustomed to living in the cold climate at the poles, could then spread to the main parts of the continent, where, over time, it also became cold enough for large dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs first appeared in the temperate southernlatitudes approximately 231 million years ago during the Triassic period (252 to 201 million years ago), when the Earth's continents were still joined together to form Pangea. Around 214 million years ago, they traveled north towards the Arctic regions, but still remained a minor group. Especially compared to other species on Earth, such as the ancestors of modern crocodiles, scientists report in a new study. During the time of Pangea, the Dzungarian Basin was located approximately 71 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane, conveniently located above the Arctic Circle.
Then, 202 million years ago, duringTriassic-Jurassic extinction, a chain of massive volcanic eruptions sharply cooled the planet, killing more than 75% of species on land and in the oceans. However, dinosaurs adapted and became the dominant species during the Jurassic (about 201–145 million years ago).
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