Cranial fossa

A cranial fossa is formed by the floor of the cranial cavity.

There are three distinct cranial fossae:


 * Anterior cranial fossa (fossa cranii anterior), housing the projecting frontal lobes of the brain
 * Middle cranial fossa (fossa cranii media), separated from the posterior fossa by the clivus and the petrous crest housing the temporal lobe
 * Posterior cranial fossa (fossa cranii posterior), between the foramen magnum and tentorium cerebelli, containing the brainstem and cerebellum