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8.2.2: Interior of the Cranium

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    Interior of the Cranium

    Skeleton with skull with the top sliced off and an arrow pointing down into the cranial cavity to show the position of the cranial cavity.

    Above: Figure shows the view of the cranial cavity below.

    If the skull were sliced in the transverse plane (separating superior and inferior) to expose the inferior aspect of the cranial cavity, where the underside of the brain is supported by the skull, and it was viewed from above (superior view), the skull would appear as the two images below. The base of the cranial cavity is composed of three main fossae (basin-like structures): the anterior cranial fossa, the middle cranial fossa, and the posterior cranial fossa.

    Fossae of the cranial cavity.

    Above: The fossae of the cranial cavity. (Left) Superior view of the cranial cavity of the skull unaltered. (Middle) Superior view of the cranial cavity of the skull colored to show the anterior cranial fossa, the middle cranial fossa, and the posterior cranial fossa. (Right) Lateral view of the skull showing that the anterior cranial fossa is more anterior and is more superior than the other cranial fossae. The middle cranial fossa is inferior to the anterior cranial fossa but more superior to the posterior cranial fossa.

    The base of the cranial cavity is created by the frontal bone, ethmoid bone, sphenoid bone, two temporal bones, and occipital bone.

    Bones of the cranial cavity.

    Above: The bones of the cranial cavity.

    Attributions (All Skull Sections)

    This page titled 8.2.2: Interior of the Cranium is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Rosanna Hartline.

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