Question

A limestone containing shells of marine invertebrates that once lived in warm, clear, shallow and normal salinity marine waters would have most likely deposited:

a) in a delta
b) on a beach
c) in a shallow marine environment
d) in a deep marine environment

Answer 1

A limestone with shells of marine invertebrates would have most likely been deposited in a shallow marine environment, which is favorable for the organisms like bivalves and corals to thrive and for their remains to form limestone deposits over time.

Step-by-step explanation:

A limestone containing shells of marine invertebrates that lived in warm, clear, shallow, and normal salinity marine waters would have most likely been deposited in a shallow marine environment. Such environments are suitable for the growth and development of bivalves, corals, and trilobites, whose remains can form extensive limestone deposits.

Conditions in a shallow marine environment are often ideal for the preservation of fossils due to stable sediments and calm waters that lead to the gradual accumulation of organic material and minerals like calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Over time, these deposits solidify into limestone, capturing the biological history of the organisms within.

Oysters, for example, are typically found in this sedimentary environment. The gradual transition of sediments from sand to silt to clay to limestone occurs, and this continuous process helps in the formation of fossiliferous layers. This calcareous sediment, often dominated by organisms' shells, eventually becomes limestone, which is an important geological record of past marine life.