Middle Triassic

{{Short description|Second epoch of the Triassic period}}

{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}

{{Infobox geologic timespan

| name = Middle Triassic

| color = Middle Triassic

| time_start = 246.7

| time_end = 237

| time_end_prefix = ~

| image_map = Mollweide Paleographic Map of Earth, 240 Ma (Ladinian Age).png

| caption_map = A map of Earth as it appeared 240 million years ago during the Middle Triassic Epoch, Ladinian Age

| image_outcrop = Obere Schaumkalkbank am Altenberg bei Dörzbach 280308.jpg

| caption_outcrop = Middle Triassic aged Muschelkalk (Schaumkalk) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany

| image_art =

| caption_art =

| timeline = Triassic

| name_formality = Formal

| name_accept_date =

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| celestial_body = earth

| usage = Global (ICS)

| timescales_used = ICS Time Scale

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| chrono_unit = Epoch

| strat_unit = Series

| proposed_by =

| timespan_formality = Formal

| lower_boundary_def = Not formally defined

| lower_def_candidates =

• FAD of the Conodont Chiosella timorensis
• Base of magnetic zone MT1n

| lower_gssp_candidates =

• Desli Caira, Northern Dobruja, Romania
• Guandao, Guizhou, China

| upper_boundary_def = FAD of the Ammonite Daxatina canadensis

| upper_gssp_location = Prati di Stuores, Dolomites, Italy

| upper_gssp_coords = {{Coord|46.5269|N|11.9303|E|display=inline}}

| upper_gssp_accept_date = 2008{{cite journal |last1=Mietto |first1=Paolo |last2=Manfrin |first2=Stefano |last3=Preto |first3=Nereo |last4=Rigo |first4=Manuel |last5=Roghi |first5=Guido |last6=Furin |first6=Stefano |last7=Gianolla |first7=Piero |last8=Posenato |first8=Renato |last9=Muttoni |first9=Giovanni |last10=Nicora |first10=Alda |last11=Buratti |first11=Nicoletta |last12=Cirilli |first12=Simonetta |last13=Spötl |first13=Christoph |last14=Ramezani |first14=Jahandar |last15=Bowring |first15=Samuel |title=The Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Carnian Stage (Late Triassic) at Prati Di Stuores/Stuores Wiesen Section (Southern Alps, NE Italy) |journal=Episodes |date=September 2012 |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=414–430 |doi=10.18814/epiiugs/2012/v35i3/003 |doi-access=free |url=https://stratigraphy.org/gssps/files/carnian.pdf |access-date=13 December 2020}}

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In the geologic timescale, the Middle Triassic is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period or the middle of three series in which the Triassic system is divided in chronostratigraphy. The Middle Triassic spans the time between {{Period start|Middle-Triassic}} Ma and {{Period start|Upper-Triassic}} Ma (million years ago). It is preceded by the Early Triassic Epoch and followed by the Late Triassic Epoch. The Middle Triassic is divided into the Anisian and Ladinian ages or stages.{{Cite web |url=https://stratigraphy.org/ICSchart/ChronostratChart2024-12.pdf |title=ICS - Chart/Time Scale |access-date=2025-01-14 |archive-date=2025-01-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250101170925/https://stratigraphy.org/ICSchart/ChronostratChart2024-12.pdf}}

Formerly the middle series in the Triassic was also known as Muschelkalk. This name is now only used for a specific unit of rock strata with approximately Middle Triassic age, found in western Europe.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024|reason=Citation needed for the entire above section, where none are provided}}