Question
One way that scientists can peer into the Earth's past is by taking ice core samples. An ice core sample is, essentially, a long cylinder of ice that is dug deep out of ancient ice in Arctic and Antarctic regions on Earth.
Images courtesy of NASA and NOAA
These cylinders contain layers of ice, with each layer corresponding to one warming and cooling period, or one year. With these samples, scientists can count the number of layers under the surface to determine when a layer was made. They can also analyze a layer to tell what chemicals were abundant in the Earth's atmosphere when that layer was made.
If scientists find an ice core from 30,000 years ago that contains chemicals radically different than the chemicals that are around today, they would likely conclude that _______.
A.
these chemicals are abundant today.
B.
the atmosphere 30,000 years ago was different than our atmosphere today.
C.
the atmosphere never changes its composition.
D.
the number of layers they counted was incorrect.
Images courtesy of NASA and NOAA
These cylinders contain layers of ice, with each layer corresponding to one warming and cooling period, or one year. With these samples, scientists can count the number of layers under the surface to determine when a layer was made. They can also analyze a layer to tell what chemicals were abundant in the Earth's atmosphere when that layer was made.
If scientists find an ice core from 30,000 years ago that contains chemicals radically different than the chemicals that are around today, they would likely conclude that _______.
A.
these chemicals are abundant today.
B.
the atmosphere 30,000 years ago was different than our atmosphere today.
C.
the atmosphere never changes its composition.
D.
the number of layers they counted was incorrect.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The correct conclusion would be: **B. the atmosphere 30,000 years ago was different than our atmosphere today.**
This conclusion is based on the evidence from the ice core sample, which shows that the chemicals present in the atmosphere thousands of years ago were not the same as those in the present day, indicating a change in atmospheric composition over time.
This conclusion is based on the evidence from the ice core sample, which shows that the chemicals present in the atmosphere thousands of years ago were not the same as those in the present day, indicating a change in atmospheric composition over time.