Question

Which statement explains what similar fossils found on distant continents suggest about Earth's history?

O Animals have evolved over time.
The continents have moved over time
O Earth's oceans had varying salt content through time
There have been many animals on Earth that are now extinct.

Answer 1

The continents have moved over time.

Step-by-step explanation:

Fossils are one of the best indicators of Earth's history. They are great information about how organisms looked, lived, evolved, but also they show what was the climate like, the geography, and even Earth's processes. The fossils are actually used as one of the best evidence for the theory of plate tectonics.

The reason why fossils are so important for the theory of plate tectonics is that there are numerous species of organisms that have been discovered in different continents that have no connection at present whatsoever and are far away from each other. It is practically impossible for exactly the same organisms to evolve in different places, especially not in different environments. In multiple specimens of a single species are left in several different environments, if they survive, they will all evolve different characteristics, not remain the same. This proves that continents that now are not connected, in the past were actually merged together, but because of divergent plate boundaries have moved away from each other.