How did the Gulf of Mexico form?

A) loading of thrust sheets of the Appalachian and Ouachita Mountains
B) a large meteoroid impact that formed a crater the same size as the present-day gulf
C) back-arc spreading behind the Lesser Antilles arc
D) Mesozoic Jurassic) continental rifting and seafloor spreading

Back-Arc Spreading

The formation of new oceanic crust behind a volcanic arc, resulting from the divergent movement of plates at a convergent boundary, a reiteration emphasizing plate tectonic mechanisms.

Mesozoic Jurassic

A geologic period within the Mesozoic Era, known for the dominance of dinosaurs and the presence of significant geological and climatic changes.

Thrust Sheets

Large sections of the Earth's crust that have been moved horizontally over other rocks by tectonic forces.