Question

1. fossil remains of glossopteris (an extinct plant with large leaves) have been discovered in india and australia. when they were living, all the glossopteris were located together on land, but now the glossopteris fossils are separated by an ocean. what could explain how these fossils got so far apart? a india and australia are parts of different plates. the plates slowly moved apart as new plates from underneath got added between them over millions of years. b india and australia are parts of different plates. the plates slowly moved far apart as soft, solid rock from underneath got added to the edges of the plates over millions of years. c india and australia are parts of different plates. the plates floated away from each other across the ocean. d india and australia are parts of different plates. the plates were sometimes pushed far apart by earthquakes, and soft, solid rock from underneath got added to the edges of the plates.

Explanation:

The theory of plate - tectonics explains that Earth's lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates. New material is added at mid - ocean ridges as plates move apart. India and Australia are on different plates and over millions of years, soft, solid rock from underneath is added to the edges of the plates causing them to move apart. Option b correctly describes this process. Option a is incorrect as it's not about new plates being added between them. Option c is wrong because plates don't float across the ocean in that way. Option d is incorrect as earthquakes are not the main cause of plates moving apart in this long - term process.

Answer:

B. India and Australia are parts of different plates. The plates slowly moved far apart as soft, solid rock from underneath got added to the edges of the plates over millions of years.