Question
A student reads the text and makes the following concluding statement.
Wegener’s “puzzle piece” theory about the breakup of Pangaea is supported by looking at banded iron formations found on cratons.
Is this statement supported by the information given in the text? Give two pieces of evidence from the text that either support or argue against the statement. Explain how the evidence relates to the conclusion made.
Wegener’s “puzzle piece” theory about the breakup of Pangaea is supported by looking at banded iron formations found on cratons.
Is this statement supported by the information given in the text? Give two pieces of evidence from the text that either support or argue against the statement. Explain how the evidence relates to the conclusion made.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To evaluate the student's concluding statement regarding Wegener’s theory and its support from banded iron formations on cratons, it is important to analyze the evidence and see how it relates to the conclusion.
1. **Evidence of Banded Iron Formations**: If the text contains information about how banded iron formations are indicative of certain conditions during the Earth's geological history, particularly during periods of supercontinent formation or breakup, this could support the student's conclusion. For example, if the text mentions that these formations provide insights into the distribution of ocean and land over geological time, it would strengthen the argument that they are relevant to understanding the breakup of Pangaea.
2. **Connection to Cratons**: If the text describes cratons as stable parts of the continental crust that have remained unchanged for billions of years, this could argue against the conclusion that banded iron formations alone provide substantial support for Wegener’s theory. The reasoning would be that while cratons are important for understanding Earth's history, their stability may indicate that the geological processes affecting them (and hence the evidence from banded iron formations) are not directly tied to the kinematic movements that Wegener proposed regarding Pangaea.
### Conclusion:
The student’s statement could be supported if the text highlights a connection between the formation of banded iron and the geological processes linked to the breakup of Pangaea. However, if the text emphasizes the stable nature of cratons and suggests that banded iron formations are more related to global conditions rather than continental drift, it may undermine the conclusion. Thus, determining the accuracy of the student's statement relies heavily on specific evidence regarding how banded iron formations correlate with Wegener's theory in the provided text.
1. **Evidence of Banded Iron Formations**: If the text contains information about how banded iron formations are indicative of certain conditions during the Earth's geological history, particularly during periods of supercontinent formation or breakup, this could support the student's conclusion. For example, if the text mentions that these formations provide insights into the distribution of ocean and land over geological time, it would strengthen the argument that they are relevant to understanding the breakup of Pangaea.
2. **Connection to Cratons**: If the text describes cratons as stable parts of the continental crust that have remained unchanged for billions of years, this could argue against the conclusion that banded iron formations alone provide substantial support for Wegener’s theory. The reasoning would be that while cratons are important for understanding Earth's history, their stability may indicate that the geological processes affecting them (and hence the evidence from banded iron formations) are not directly tied to the kinematic movements that Wegener proposed regarding Pangaea.
### Conclusion:
The student’s statement could be supported if the text highlights a connection between the formation of banded iron and the geological processes linked to the breakup of Pangaea. However, if the text emphasizes the stable nature of cratons and suggests that banded iron formations are more related to global conditions rather than continental drift, it may undermine the conclusion. Thus, determining the accuracy of the student's statement relies heavily on specific evidence regarding how banded iron formations correlate with Wegener's theory in the provided text.