How does the plate tectonics theory explain existence of fossil marine life in rock atop mountains formed by continental collisions?
1 Answer
A fish is fossilised near a fault line, and the two tectonic plates interact, pushing sediment upwards, forming mountains.
Explanation:
When marine life like fish die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean (if they aren't eaten) and lay there. Sand or sediment is piled atop them by deposition, and forms layers, crushing the fish remnants entirely. However, the shape of the fish is left indented in the rock, forming a fossil.
If this fossil is near a fault-line where two tectonic plates meet, and the two plates move into each other, the sheer force of millions of tonnes colliding could push the sediment above upwards (the force has to go somewhere) forming mountains. At the top of these mountains would be the fossils of fish, and as the Earth moved more over millions of years, and oceans migrated to the lowest possible points, the mountains would become the Himalayas, totally above ground, with fish on top.
