Abstract Cretaceous limestones near Maastricht (SE Netherlands) have been quarried at least since Roman times. In the late eighteenth century, scientific interest developed in their macrofossil content and specimens were illustrated for the first time. Amongst the early discoveries was a partial skull of a large predatory vertebrate that would play an important role in the emergence of modern palaeontology and our understanding of the concept of extinction. After decades of scientific debate, this animal was recognized as a large extinct marine relative of monitor lizards (varanoids) and named Mosasaurus. A detailed lithostratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous (Santonian–Maastrichtian) rocks was established in the Maastrichtian type area during the mid-1970s, which resulted in a renewed interest in fossil hunting by professional and amateur palaeontologists alike. During recent decades, both micro- and macrofossils have enabled a refinement of biozonations, correlations within the basin and with sections elsewhere, a greater insight into taphonomic processes and updated taxonomic interpretations. A new age model and chemostratigraphical framework is the most recent addition, permitting the placement of geoheritage in a larger frame and intensifying outreach to the public, including also virtual and augmented reality and hands-on experience to visitors of museum and (disused) quarries alike.

ABSTRACT In 2017–2018, two fine arts undergraduate students, Todd Rowan and Moesha Wright, conceived and created a mural for the Dunn-Seiler Museum at Mississippi State University, Mississippi, USA, under the supervision of art professor emeritus Brent Funderburk. Students researched, conceptualized, and painted Mississippi Cretaceous Panorama , which interpreted the Late Cretaceous landscape that once surrounded the university and the momentous extinction event that brought the Mesozoic Era to its close. The project necessitated creativity to address several challenges, including funding, space constraints, and a local population with Young Earth views. The completed mural engages museum visitors with a mosasaur, ceratopsian dinosaur, and a meteorite impact—illustrating the local, terminal Mesozoic geologic history in a nonthreatening venue that can improve community geoliteracy.