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Trilobite fossils in a particular layer of rock were used to date a fossil shell in the same layer - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 34 - 2014 - Paper 1
Question 34
Trilobite fossils in a particular layer of rock were used to date a fossil shell in the same layer. A palaeontologist dated the fossil shell to 328–359 million years... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Trilobite fossils in a particular layer of rock were used to date a fossil shell in the same layer - VCE - SSCE Biology - Question 34 - 2014 - Paper 1
Step 1
It is most likely that the trilobite fossils present were of the order
Answer
To determine the order of the trilobite fossils, we consider the dating of the fossil shell, which ranges from 328 to 359 million years ago. This time period corresponds to the late Devonian to the early Carboniferous era. Since trilobites were most diverse and prevalent during the Paleozoic era, particularly in the earlier periods, some orders of trilobites are present during the specified timeframe. Among the given options Y, U, Q, and T, the order that commonly includes trilobites from the Devonian period is order Q. Therefore, the answer is order Q.