A cranial fossa is formed by the floor of the cranial cavity.
There are three distinct cranial fossae:[1]
- Anterior cranial fossa (fossa cranii anterior), housing the projecting frontal lobes of the brain[2]
- Middle cranial fossa (fossa cranii media), separated from the posterior fossa by the clivus and the petrous crest housing the temporal lobe[3]
- Posterior cranial fossa (fossa cranii posterior), between the foramen magnum and tentorium cerebelli, containing the brainstem and cerebellum[4]