Question

A student is researching the fossilized remains of a plant species that existed millions of years ago. Fossils of this particular plant have been discovered in both Australia and Antarctica. What is the BEST explanation for why fossils of this plant are present on these two continents?

The plant randomly existed in both places.
Australia and Antarctica were once part of the same continent.
When Earth began, Australia and Antarctica were the only two continents.
The plant's seeds were spread over the large the ocean from Australia to Antarctica.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

Australia and Antarctica were once part of the same continent.

Answer 2

are you sure

Answer 3

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

I apologize for any confusion. It is indeed more accurate to say that Australia and Antarctica were once part of the same supercontinent called Gondwana. This supercontinent began breaking up around 180 million years ago, gradually forming the continents as we know them today. Therefore, the presence of the plant fossils on both Australia and Antarctica can be explained by their shared geological history as part of Gondwana.