Tethys ocean

Rachel Wood*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

The Tethys was an ancient east–west ocean that existed from 250 to �50 million years ago. Many of the Earth’s tropical continental shelves at this time were found around the margins of the Tethys Ocean, making the Tethys host to many reefs for a considerable part of the Mesozoic and into the Cenozoic. The Tethys was a center of tremendous marine biodiversity, and regional faunal differentiation has been recorded for almost every major period of geological time. At its greatest extent, the Tethys Ocean was part of a continuous series of oceans that covered the Earth between �30 N and the equator, creating circulation patterns quite unlike those known today.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1084-1086
Number of pages3
JournalEncyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series
VolumePart 2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

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