Why are marine fossils found in the desert?

Why are marine fossils found in the desert?

Fossils are everywhere you have sedimentary rock* deserts are actually rather poor at forming fossils compared to many other environments. They are FOUND more often in deserts because there are no plants or soil covering them up and no plant roots to rip them apart for minerals.

How does the plate tectonics theory explain the existence of fossil marine life near the summit of Mount Everest in the Himalayas?

The plate tectonics theory explains the existence of fossil marine life in rocks atop mountains as resulting from the uplifting of the plate during continental collisions.

Which explanation best describes why marine fossils have been discovered in rock layers in a desert environment?

Which explanation best describes why marine fossils have been discovered in rock layers in a desert environment? A catastrophic event occurred in the area in the past. Continental drift moved the rock layers from the coast to the desert.

What period did the first fish appear?

The first fish were primitive jawless forms (agnathans) which appeared in the Early Cambrian, but remained generally rare until the Silurian and Devonian when they underwent a rapid evolution.

How does the plate tectonics theory help explain the existence of fossil marine life in rocks atop mountains formed by continental collisions?

If this fossil is near a fault-line where two tectonic plates meet, and the two plates move into each other, the sheer force of millions of tonnes colliding could push the sediment above upwards (the force has to go somewhere) forming mountains.

Why do fossils not form in igneous rocks?

Igneous rocks do not contain any fossils. This is because any fossils in the original rock will have melted when the rock melted to form magma.

What does the fossil record tell scientists?

Fossils give us information about how animals and plants lived in the past. By studying the fossil record we can tell how long life has existed on Earth, and how different plants and animals are related to each other.

Why are fossils found near bodies of water?

This is mostly due to the fact that creatures that live in bodies of water have a much greater chance of being covered by sediment and/or transported to low oxygen environments, which increase the chances of it becoming fossilized.

How did fish evolve legs?

(Newser) – Some 385 million years ago, our watery ancestors evolved into land mammals, their fins slowly evolving into limbs. Fish could see far better above the water line, and were likely tempted by tasty prey on land, the Atlantic explains. …

Why are there fossils of marine life at high elevations?

Thus the fossils of marine life that once lived there have risen to their current high elevations. This is a better answer than a global flood for several reasons: There are also fossilized tracks and burrows of marine life found near the fossils of the marine life.

How are fossils found in the rock layers?

One evidence is rock layers�specifically, what is called the geologic column. Basically, scientists have learned that rocks are stacked in layers containing fossils with the oldest fossils at the deepest layers, and the youngest, or most recent fossils, near the top. It’s as if rock layers are a vertical timeline.

How are fossils used to determine the age of a rock?

Fossils found in a particular rock layer help scientists determine the age of the rock. Scientists use a technique called radiocarbon dating to find out the age of the fossils. Once they know the age of the fossil in the rock, they also know that rock itself is about the same age!

Where are the fossils found in the ocean?

Sharktooth Hill in California is about 100 miles away from the ocean. Millions of years ago, Sharktooth Hill was under the ocean. Here, paleontologists find lots of fossils of marine life, surrounded by silt. The remains of ancient sharks, whales, dolphins, and turtles have been found buried 30 feet underground.