Question

A student states that petrification occurs when pore spaces in an organism's remains are filled with minerals that precipitate out of solution. What is wrong with this statement?
A.
Permineralization occurs when pore spaces in an organism's remains are filled with minerals that precipitate out of solution.
B.
Petrification occurs when once-living tissues are replaced by minerals, preserving the organism's structure.
C.
Both A and B describe errors in the statement.
D.
Nothing, this statement is correct as is.

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Both A and B describe errors in the statement.

Explanation:

In fossilization i.e formation of fossils, two terms are used as follows: permineralization and petrification.

- Permineralization is a process whereby the pore spaces of an organism's remains are filled with mineral matter that precipitates from lake and ocean solutions.

- On the contrary, petrifaction or petrification is the process whereby a once-living tissue (matter) are REPLACED by minerals, hence, preserving the organism's structure by turning it into a stone (petros).

According to this question, the student mixed up their definitions by giving the definition of permineralization instead, however, options A and B have described the errors associated with the statement.