Question

Scientists infer that chemical weathering of crustal rocks is not the only source of some minerals, such as chlorine, bromine, sulfur, and boron because ________.

a-those minerals have the wrong isotopic composition for weathering products of crustal rocks
b-some of the minerals are only found in meteorites and must have an extraterrestrial source
c-the minerals are highly reactive and are not found as compounds that would come from crustal material
d-there are more of those minerals in the oceans than can be derived from crustal rocks alone
e-none of the above

Answer 1

Scientists infer that chemical weathering of crustal rocks is not the only source of minerals like chlorine, bromine, sulfur, and boron because there are more of those minerals in the oceans than can be derived from crustal rocks alone.

Step-by-step explanation:

Scientists infer that chemical weathering of crustal rocks is not the only source of some minerals, such as chlorine, bromine, sulfur, and boron because:

d. there are more of those minerals in the oceans than can be derived from crustal rocks alone.

These minerals are highly reactive and found in compounds that enter the ocean through different processes, such as precipitation, direct fallout from the atmosphere, rock weathering, and geothermal vents. Rocks containing sulfur and other elements are carried from ocean sediments to land through geologic processes, where they are utilized by terrestrial ecosystems and later released back into the atmosphere. The presence of these minerals in the oceans and their abundance cannot be explained solely by chemical weathering of crustal rocks.