Question

The Chesapeake Bay, a large estuary that lines the coast of Virginia and Maryland, was formed 35 million years ago.

The landscape was created by a meteor impact event around 35 million years ago and the crater filled with water
millions of years later as sea levels rose. Which of these pieces of evidence best supports the theory that a meteor
impact event formed the Chesapeake Bay area?

A) A layer of reddish iron deposits exist in layers older than 35 million years.

B) A layer of iridium and shocked quartz is present in sedimentary layers from
35 million years ago

C) Uranium in the sediment layers older than 35 million years are emitting
low levels of radiation

D) Marine fossils present prior to 35 million years ago are not found in
sediment layers more recent than that

Answer 1

The layer of iridium and shocked quartz dated 35 million years ago provide the best evidence of a meteor impact forming the Chesapeake Bay due to their associations with extraterrestrial origins and high-velocity impact events. Option B is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best piece of evidence that supports the theory that a meteor impact event formed the Chesapeake Bay area is B) A layer of iridium and shocked quartz is present in sedimentary layers from 35 million years ago.

Iridium is a rare element on Earth's crust but is abundant in meteorites. Its presence indicates an extraterrestrial origin, which aligns with the idea of a meteor impact. Shocked quartz is a form of quartz that has a microscopical structure deformed by intense pressure, which is also indicative of a high-velocity impact event like that from a meteor.

Therefore, the presence of both iridium and shocked quartz in the sedimentary layers that date back to the time of the Bay's formation is strong evidence that the Chesapeake Bay was indeed created by a meteor impact.