You live in a seismically active area and there are steep mountain slopes that show evidence of past large landslides.A geologist uses radiocarbon dating and determines that all of the landslides are 1000 +/- 5 years old.He also determines that there is an active fault in the area that moved in the last 1000-2000 years but he can't date it precisely.Which of the following is a reasonable conclusion?
A)Radiocarbon dating is not a good dating technique or it could separate the ages of the slides.
B)There was probably an earthquake ~1000 years ago.
C)There must have been a major drought 1000 years ago that triggered the landslides.
D)There must have been people in the area 1000 years ago,and they cut down the trees that were dated for determining the age of the landslide.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The radiocarbon dating of the landslides all being 1000 +/- 5 years old suggests that there was a major event that triggered them around that time. Given that there is also an active fault in the area that moved in the last 1000-2000 years, it is reasonable to conclude that there was likely an earthquake around 1000 years ago that triggered the landslides. The other choices (A, C, and D) are not supported by the information given and are unlikely explanations.

You Live in a Seismically Active Area and There Are