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Aalenian

adjective Aa·le·ni·an \ ä-ˈlē-nē-ən \

Definition of Aalenian

: of, relating to, or being a period of the Middle Jurassic lasting from approximately 176 million years ago until 172 million years ago
  • This applies particularly to the thickest of the sandstones, the Bearreraig Sandstone of Aalenian to Bajocian age.
  • —J. D. Hudson et al.,  Journal of the Geological Society,  September 2011
— see Geologic Time Table
—

Aalenian

noun
    • Subsequently, during the Aalenian, the motile forms (still present in the water column) had become adapted to life in stressed salinities …
    • —Alister James Powell and J. B. Riding,  Recent Developments in Applied Biostratigraphy,  2005

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Origin and Etymology of aalenian

borrowed from French aalénien, from Aalen, town in Württemberg, Germany, the location of strata defining the period + -ien-ian

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