After reading the website article above, your classmate wonders aloud about the iron ore deposits found along the Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern United States. There is no active plate boundary along the Appalachian Mountains, yet iron ore is known to form along plate boundaries. Why are there deposits of iron ore in a place where there isn't a current plate boundary?

9. Explain to your classmate how there can be mineral deposits located far from current plate boundaries.

(1 point)
Responses

The mineral deposits were moved to new underground locations by early miners.
The mineral deposits were moved to new underground locations by early miners.

These mineral deposits were formed by weathering, erosion, and deposition.
These mineral deposits were formed by weathering, erosion, and deposition.

The mineral deposits have no geological explanation.
The mineral deposits have no geological explanation.

The mineral deposits were moved away from plate boundaries as the plates moved and collided over many years.

The mineral deposits found along the Appalachian Mountains were actually formed long before the mountains themselves were created. These deposits were formed during a time when there were active plate boundaries in the region. Over millions of years, as the Earth's tectonic plates moved and collided, the mineral deposits were pushed and folded into the region that is now the Appalachian Mountains. So, even though there is no current plate boundary in the area, the mineral deposits were originally formed along plate boundaries and have since been transported to their current location through geological processes.

out of the 4 answers

The mineral deposits found along the Appalachian Mountains were formed through weathering, erosion, and deposition processes. As mountains and landforms erode over time, mineral deposits can be released and transported to new locations far from their original formation sites. In the case of the iron ore deposits along the Appalachian Mountains, they were likely formed in a different geological setting and later transported and concentrated along the mountain range through various geological processes. So, the presence of these iron ore deposits far from current plate boundaries can be explained by the movement of material through erosion and deposition processes.