A geologist is working in an area with exposed sedimentary rocks and finds a well exposed sequence of stratified rocks.As he works through a thick sequence of limestone,he sees abundant large clam fossils that produce an interlocking texture suggesting a reef,but within the limestone section these clams disappear and the overlying limestone is made up primarily of fragments of corals.He now moves 50 km away and finds limestones interbedded with shales,and the limestones contain the same clam fossils he had seen previously 50 km away.As he continues through this section,the rocks become entirely limestone,and the clams disappear again with coral fossils above forming a reef structure.He concludes ________.
A)this is impossible; the rocks are different at the same place the fossils change
B)the horizon where the clams disappear occurred at the same time in the two sections when the clams went extinct
C)clams have nothing to do with reefs,so he needs to go back to the first section to determine what he missed
D)sea level must have risen abruptly in a great catastrophe to produce the coral fragments scattered over 50 km

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The disappearance of the clam fossils and the appearance of the coral fragments suggest a change in the environment and possibly the extinction of the clams. However, the fact that the same clam fossils are found 50 km away in interbedded limestones and shales suggests that this extinction occurred at the same time in both sections. This could be due to changes in water chemistry, temperature, or other environmental factors that affected the clams' ability to survive. The appearance of coral fragments suggests the development of a reef environment, which could occur due to rising sea levels or other factors, but does not necessarily require a catastrophic event.

A Geologist Is Working in an Area with Exposed Sedimentary