Cre*ta"ceous (krE*tA"shus), a. [L. cretaceus, fr. creta chalk. See Crayon.]
Having the qualities of chalk; abounding with chalk; chalky; as, cretaceous rocks and formations. See Chalk.
Cretaceous acid, an old name for carbonic acid. --
Cretaceous formation (Geol.), the series of strata of various kinds, including beds of chalk, green sand, etc., formed in the Cretaceous period; -- called also the chalk formation. See the Diagram under Geology. --
Cretaceous period (Geol.), the time in the latter part of the Mesozoic age during which the Cretaceous formation was deposited.
© Webster 1913
Cre*ta"ceous, a. Also Cre*tac"ic (&?;). (Geol.)
Of, pertaining to, or designating, the period of time following the Jurassic and preceding the Eocene.
© Webster 1913