Question

Your family is exploring some of the mountains in the Rocky Mountain Range. Some of the rock now visible on the ground surface spent much of their history at great depths below the surface, buried under other strata, to be eventually exposed. What might explain this phenomenon?

a) Tectonic plate movement
b) Erosion and weathering
c) Volcanic activity
d) Sedimentary rock formation

Answer 1

The phenomenon can be explained by erosion and weathering. When continental masses collide, the Earth's crust buckles and folds, resulting in some rocks being dragged deep below the surface and others being raised to high heights. Over time, erosion and weathering expose the previously buried rocks.

Step-by-step explanation:

The phenomenon described in the question can be explained by erosion and weathering. When two continental masses are moving on a collision course, the Earth's crust buckles and folds, dragging some rocks deep below the surface and raising other folds to heights of many kilometers. Over time, the higher folds are subjected to erosion and weathering, which removes the overlying layers and exposes the rocks that were once buried at great depths below the surface.