How are seashells found on mountaintops?
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Seashells are found on mountaintops due to the geological processes that have raised sections of the earth's crust over millions of years. explains that it is primarily the result of the geologic rising of landmasses, rather than the ocean being higher in the past. These seashells were originally on the seafloor and were lifted to high altitudes through tectonic activities like the formation of mountains 1.
Historically, the presence of seashells on mountaintops led people to believe in events like Noah's flood. However, argued against this interpretation by noting that seashells and marine fossils found at these elevations were laid out orderly, which a great flood would not likely preserve 1.
Further supporting this modern understanding, details that ancient observers explained these seashells through the lens of the biblical flood because they lacked knowledge about plate tectonics and geological uplift. Today, it's recognized that these rock formations have been pushed up from beneath the seafloor to now stand above sea level 2 3.
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