The principle of lateral continuity proposes that sedimentary rock layers continue in all directions until they grade into a different rock type or thin out on the edge of a basin is important because ________.
◦ it provided an explanation how rocks behave in a depositional setting
◦ it allowed geologists to correlate sedimentary rock units over large distances
◦ it provided a way to recognize if rocks had been deformed
◦ it showed that catastrophism could not explain the flat layers of the earth