Basaltic clasts within the basal layers of a conglomerate imply which of the following statements?
A)The conglomerate must be the older of the two.
B)The basalt must be the older of the two.
C)The section must not have been overturned by tectonic activity at any time.
D)The basalt intruded into the conglomerate.

Question

Basaltic clasts within the basal layers of a conglomerate imply which of the following statements? 
A)The conglomerate must be the older of the two. 
B)The basalt must be the older of the two. 
C)The section must not have been overturned by tectonic activity at any time. 
D)The basalt intruded into the conglomerate.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Basaltic clasts within a conglomerate imply that the basalt existed before the conglomerate was formed, and therefore the basalt must be older than the conglomerate. This conclusion can be drawn regardless of whether the section has been overturned or not. The presence of basaltic clasts does not provide any information about the relative ages of the two rocks, so options A) and D) are incorrect.

Basaltic Clasts Within the Basal Layers of a Conglomerate Imply