Question

based on the fossil evidence and information from the reading, how is the original environment of maryland in the precambrian time different from the environment of maryland in the cenozoic?
○ the environment became drier and warmer.
○ the environment became wetter and warmer.
○ the environment became drier and colder.
○ the environment became wetter and colder.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the environmental changes from Precambrian to Cenozoic in Maryland (geological time context):

1. Precambrian Maryland: Often had marine or wetter, possibly colder (due to early Earth’s climate and tectonic/geological setup, like shallow seas, glaciations in some Precambrian epochs).
2. Cenozoic Maryland: The Cenozoic is marked by a shift toward drier and warmer conditions in many regions (e.g., post - dinosaur extinction, climate evolution, formation of modern landscapes, reduced marine influence in Maryland, and overall warming trends in the later Cenozoic like the current interglacial).

Now we evaluate the options:

• Option 1: “The environment became drier and warmer” matches the transition (Precambrian wetter/colder - like to Cenozoic drier/warmer).
• Option 2: “The environment became wetter and warmer” is incorrect (Cenozoic is not wetter than Precambrian in Maryland’s context).
• Option 3: “The environment became drier and colder” is incorrect (Cenozoic has warming trends, not colder).
• Option 4: “The environment became wetter and colder” is incorrect (opposite of the actual transition).

Answer:

A. The environment became drier and warmer