Chapter 14, Problem 14A

Summary Introduction

To infer:

The kind of environment present at the time of fossil’s formation

Introduction:

A fossil is any preserved evidence of an organism. Plants, animals and even bacteria can form fossils. More than 99 percent of the species that existed have become extinct. Only a small percentage of these organisms are preserved as fossils. Amber is a type of fossil.

Answer to Problem 14A

Correct answer:

The environment must have been a forest with a river flowing nearby.

Explanation of Solution

Amber is a preserved tree sap with an entire organism trapped inside it. The sap hardens into amber and preserves the trapped organism. Amber is basically a hard tree sap produced by the trees at wounded sites. So it can be assumed that the amber was produced by a tree in a forest. Since the amber is found in a sedimentary rock layer, it suggests that a water body like a river must be flowing in the forest or nearby area so that sediments are deposited on the floor of the water body.

Hence, the environment present at the time of fossil formation must have been that of a forest with a river flowing.