Question

Which statement is consistent with the evidence and explains how ancient coral reef fossils can be found high in the mountains, far from any sea?

a) A huge tidal wave pushed marine life up into the mountains.
b) Prehistoric man carried fish into the mountains from the sea.
c) Fish were thrown into the mountains by a tremendous volcanic explosion.
d) Land that was uplifted to form the mountains was once covered by the sea.

Answer 1

Ancient coral reef fossils in mountains are explained by geological processes, where tectonic plate movements uplifted the sea floor, now evidenced as fossilized coral high in the mountains.

Step-by-step explanation:

The evidence suggests that finding ancient coral reef fossils high in mountains far from any sea is best explained by the geological process of land that was once covered by the sea being uplifted to form mountains.

Over geological time, tectonic plate movement can lift seabeds, which contain fossils of marine life, above sea level. This is how fossilized coral reefs end up in mountainous regions. The concept of continental drift and mountain building activities, like the orogenic events that created the Appalachians, supports this idea. Additionally, erosion patterns and sediment buildup that we observe in various geological structures also lend support to this theory.

Large-scale crustal movements that are indicative of tectonic activity are responsible for the uplift. These movements over time have lifted ancient marine deposits out of the seas and into the high mountains where we find them today.