Why was the Mesosaurus fossil one of the most convincing arguments in favor of continental drift?

Question

a
The Mesosaurus was a water dwelling dinosaur whose fossils were found atop the Himalayan mountains.
b
The Mesosaurus fossils were tropical plant seeds found in Antarctica, suggesting Antarctica must have once been in a tropical location.
c
The fossils of the Mesosaurus were found in a rock layer that was older than the Mesosaurus itself.
d
The fossils of this freshwater reptile were found in both South America and Africa could not have swam across the Atlantic ocean.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

d. The fossils of this freshwater reptile were found in both South America and Africa could not have swam across the Atlantic ocean.

This evidence supports the theory of continental drift because it suggests that South America and Africa were once joined, allowing the Mesosaurus to inhabit both continents before they separated.

Answer 2

Write the name for the following compound: Cl8Br4

Answer 3

The compound Cl₈Br₄ can be named as octachloro tetrabromide.

Here’s the breakdown of the name:

• "Octa-" refers to the eight chlorine (Cl) atoms.
• "Tetra-" refers to the four bromine (Br) atoms.
• The elements are named in order of their appearance in the chemical formula, with prefixes indicating the number of each type of atom.