Question
A Snapshot in Time
Earth and Space Science Studies: Dynamics of Earth's Structure
Southern Vermilion County, Illinois, seems like an odd place to find a rainforest. After all, the area is covered in windswept flatlands. Yet that is where coal miners working near Georgetown have unearthed the remains of a fossilized rainforest.
The rainforest is more than 200 feet (61 meters) below ground. It is just above the Riola and Vermilion Grove coal mines. The forest dates back 307 million years to the ancient Pennsylvania Age. At 15 square miles (24 square km), it is the largest full rainforest from that period ever studied.
"We never [found] one whole forest preserved in one shot like this," said Scott Elrick of the Illinois State Geological Survey.
The fossils are the remains of one of the world's first rainforests. It was alive during the Pennsylvania Age. That's when vast rainforests, swamps, and deltas covered much of the eastern and midwestern U.S. Their plant life and climates created ideal conditions for the formation of coal. The region's coal was formed from the dead vegetation of ancient rainforests. Therefore, it is common to find small pockets of fossilized plants just above coal mines.
However, the case of the Vermilion rainforest is unusual. That's because at some point, experts say, a fault line that runs through the area triggered a major earthquake. The quake quickly sank the forest beneath a layer of mud and preserved it.
"What [scientists are] looking at is very rapid preservation of this forest," said Ian Glasspool. Glasspool works at Chicago's Field Museum. The rapid preservation allowed plant tissue to be preserved in great detail, rather than being broken down over time. "It's a snapshot in time," Glasspool said.
Elrick and other researchers discovered the forest in the early 2000s. They drove deep underground into the mines in armored vehicles. Then they walked along miles of seven-foot-high (2.1-meter-high) passages. Team members spent most of their time looking up to where they predicted the fossils of the ferns, mosses, and trees were located. That's because ancient vegetation is now coal.
With the discovery of the ancient plant life, scientists have a picture of what the rainforest was like. It was mostly a jungle, Elrick said, but with larger plants and mosses as big as trees. The weather was very different from the temperate climate in Illinois today.
"It would be hot, extremely humid, really uncomfortable to be standing around there," Elrick said. "Something out of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Lost World."
Researchers did not find much evidence of animal life. However, they have uncovered the remains of a eurypterid. The six-foot-long, lobster-like creature would have crawled out of the Absaroka Sea. The sea covered parts of the continent at various periods in ancient times.
Elrick and the other researchers continued documenting what was above the Vermilion County mines. They drew and took pictures. They made notes. They also studied slabs of rock taken from the mine. However, the mines are now sealed. And part of the fossil chamber has collapsed. "Unfortunately, it will never be a 'visitable' museum," Elrick said. He added that the size of the forest would make it difficult to describe to the public with words and pictures. "We try to document...what we see and take notes.... It's sort of like asking people to go to New York City and describe every storefront in a day."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Question 7
7 / 8
Which passage from the article best supports the idea that the Vermilion rainforest covers a large area of land?
Elrick and other researchers discovered the forest in the early 2000s. They drove deep underground into the mines in armored vehicles. Then they walked along miles of seven-foot-high (2.1-meter-high) passages.
The rainforest is more than 200 feet (61 meters) below ground. It is just above the Riola and Vermilion Grove coal mines. The forest dates back 307 million years to the ancient Pennsylvania Age.
Elrick and the other researchers continued documenting what was above the Vermilion County mines. They drew and took pictures. They made notes. They also studied slabs of rock taken from the mine.
It was alive during the Pennsylvania Age. That's when vast rainforests, swamps, and deltas covered much of the eastern and midwestern U.S.
Earth and Space Science Studies: Dynamics of Earth's Structure
Southern Vermilion County, Illinois, seems like an odd place to find a rainforest. After all, the area is covered in windswept flatlands. Yet that is where coal miners working near Georgetown have unearthed the remains of a fossilized rainforest.
The rainforest is more than 200 feet (61 meters) below ground. It is just above the Riola and Vermilion Grove coal mines. The forest dates back 307 million years to the ancient Pennsylvania Age. At 15 square miles (24 square km), it is the largest full rainforest from that period ever studied.
"We never [found] one whole forest preserved in one shot like this," said Scott Elrick of the Illinois State Geological Survey.
The fossils are the remains of one of the world's first rainforests. It was alive during the Pennsylvania Age. That's when vast rainforests, swamps, and deltas covered much of the eastern and midwestern U.S. Their plant life and climates created ideal conditions for the formation of coal. The region's coal was formed from the dead vegetation of ancient rainforests. Therefore, it is common to find small pockets of fossilized plants just above coal mines.
However, the case of the Vermilion rainforest is unusual. That's because at some point, experts say, a fault line that runs through the area triggered a major earthquake. The quake quickly sank the forest beneath a layer of mud and preserved it.
"What [scientists are] looking at is very rapid preservation of this forest," said Ian Glasspool. Glasspool works at Chicago's Field Museum. The rapid preservation allowed plant tissue to be preserved in great detail, rather than being broken down over time. "It's a snapshot in time," Glasspool said.
Elrick and other researchers discovered the forest in the early 2000s. They drove deep underground into the mines in armored vehicles. Then they walked along miles of seven-foot-high (2.1-meter-high) passages. Team members spent most of their time looking up to where they predicted the fossils of the ferns, mosses, and trees were located. That's because ancient vegetation is now coal.
With the discovery of the ancient plant life, scientists have a picture of what the rainforest was like. It was mostly a jungle, Elrick said, but with larger plants and mosses as big as trees. The weather was very different from the temperate climate in Illinois today.
"It would be hot, extremely humid, really uncomfortable to be standing around there," Elrick said. "Something out of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Lost World."
Researchers did not find much evidence of animal life. However, they have uncovered the remains of a eurypterid. The six-foot-long, lobster-like creature would have crawled out of the Absaroka Sea. The sea covered parts of the continent at various periods in ancient times.
Elrick and the other researchers continued documenting what was above the Vermilion County mines. They drew and took pictures. They made notes. They also studied slabs of rock taken from the mine. However, the mines are now sealed. And part of the fossil chamber has collapsed. "Unfortunately, it will never be a 'visitable' museum," Elrick said. He added that the size of the forest would make it difficult to describe to the public with words and pictures. "We try to document...what we see and take notes.... It's sort of like asking people to go to New York City and describe every storefront in a day."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Question 7
7 / 8
Which passage from the article best supports the idea that the Vermilion rainforest covers a large area of land?
Elrick and other researchers discovered the forest in the early 2000s. They drove deep underground into the mines in armored vehicles. Then they walked along miles of seven-foot-high (2.1-meter-high) passages.
The rainforest is more than 200 feet (61 meters) below ground. It is just above the Riola and Vermilion Grove coal mines. The forest dates back 307 million years to the ancient Pennsylvania Age.
Elrick and the other researchers continued documenting what was above the Vermilion County mines. They drew and took pictures. They made notes. They also studied slabs of rock taken from the mine.
It was alive during the Pennsylvania Age. That's when vast rainforests, swamps, and deltas covered much of the eastern and midwestern U.S.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The passage that best supports the idea that the Vermilion rainforest covers a large area of land is:
"The rainforest is more than 200 feet (61 meters) below ground. It is just above the Riola and Vermilion Grove coal mines. The forest dates back 307 million years to the ancient Pennsylvania Age."
This passage establishes the rainforest's location and its historical significance, indicating that it is an extensive area, particularly when referenced in the context of being the largest full rainforest from that period ever studied.
"The rainforest is more than 200 feet (61 meters) below ground. It is just above the Riola and Vermilion Grove coal mines. The forest dates back 307 million years to the ancient Pennsylvania Age."
This passage establishes the rainforest's location and its historical significance, indicating that it is an extensive area, particularly when referenced in the context of being the largest full rainforest from that period ever studied.