Question: Which transition is most responsible for gaps in the fossil record?
Answer: sedimentary rock to metamorphic rock
Hypothesis: sedimentary rock changing to metamorphic rock causes gaps in the fossil record
Supporting facts: sent1: metamorphic is a class of rock sent2: preserved means from the past / from long ago sent3: fossils can be used as evidence for the ancient environment sent4: plants can be fossilized into sedimentary rocks sent5: sedimentary is a class of rock sent6: if fossils of an organism change depending on the level in which they were found then that species of organism changed over time sent7: fossil fuels / fossils are formed from dead organisms over time sent8: conclusions can be drawn about changes in organisms over time by determining the age of fossils of those organisms sent9: if something that contains a thing is changed into something else that doesn't contain that thing, then that thing is lost / destroyed when that something changes into that something else sent10: nearly all fossils are found in sedimentary rock sent11: if fossils are destroyed in rock transition , then there will be gaps in the fossil record sent12: an example of a fossil is the bones of an extinct animal sent13: shale can be metamorphosed into slate by increased pressure sent14: fossil means preserved remains of ancient organisms sent15: formation in the rock cycle means an old class of rocks changes into a new class of rocks sent16: if something is found in something else then that something else contains that something sent17: shells can be fossilized into sedimentary rocks sent18: fossils are formed when layers of sediment cover the remains of organisms over time sent19: metamorphic rocks do not contain fossils sent20: imprint fossils are a kind of fossil sent21: amount is a property of something and includes ordered values of none / least / little / some / half / much / many / most / all sent22: most means over 50% of something sent23: to group means to separate sent24: bones can be fossilized into sedimentary rocks sent25: fossils can be used as evidence for the existence of a kind of organism
Reasoning: [BECAUSE] nearly all fossils are found in sedimentary rock [AND] if something is found in something else then that something else contains that something [INFER] int1: sedimentary rocks can contain fossils [BECAUSE] int1 [AND] metamorphic rocks do not contain fossils [INFER] int2: sedimentary rocks can contain fossils and metamorphic rocks do not contain fossils [BECAUSE] metamorphic is a class of rock [AND] sedimentary is a class of rock [INFER] int3: sedimentary and metamorphic are classes of rock [BECAUSE] int3 [AND] formation in the rock cycle means an old class of rocks changes into a new class of rocks [INFER] int4: formation in the rock cycle can mean sedimentary rock changes into metamorphic rock [BECAUSE] int2 [AND] int4 [INFER] int5: in the rock cycle, sedimentary rocks that contain fossils can be changed into metamorphic rocks that do not contain fossils [BECAUSE] int5 [AND] if something that contains a thing is changed into something else that doesn't contain that thing, then that thing is lost / destroyed when that something changes into that something else [INFER] int6: fossils are lost / destroyed when sedimentary rock changes to metamorphic rock [BECAUSE] int6 [AND] if fossils are destroyed in rock transition , then there will be gaps in the fossil record [INFER] int7: sedimentary rock changing to metamorphic rock causes gaps in the fossil record