Continental Drift

Continental Drift

Multiple Choice

Who is the person credited with developing the theory of continental drift?

• Harry Hess
• Galileo
• Alfred Wegener
• Newton

Multiple Choice

What was Pangaea?

• It was a supercontinent, made of all of the landmasses on Earth.

• It was 2 separate landmasses, one on the Northern Hemisphere and one on the Southern Hemisphere.

• It was a supercontinent made of 3 landmasses

• It was the name of an ancient organism

Multiple Choice

What does the theory of continental drift state?

• The continents were once joined in a super-continent and have moved over time
• Continents are stationary and do not move
• The Earth is broken into lithospheric plates that move due to convection currents
• none of the above

Multiple Choice

The geological theory that states that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant, slow motion is the theory of

• subduction
• plate tectonics
• evolution
• seafloor spreading

Multiple Choice

What evidence did Wegener use in his theory?

• Continents and fossils fitting together/matching-up like puzzle pieces

• tropical rain forests were found in different locations

• divergent boundaries were found in different locations.

• sea floor spreading caused new crusts to be formed.

Multiple Choice

Alfred Wegener thought South America and Africa have similar coastlines because...

• the mesosaurus fossils were found on both continents

• He noticed that similar rocks were found on both continents

• he thought that the continents used be be joined together

• Pangaea was 250 million years ago

Multiple Choice

What geologic feature was evidence to support the theory that the continents used to be joined?

• Same rocks and mountain ranges were found on different continents

• Glacial grooves were found on different continents

• Fossilized evidence of the same organism found on different continents

• Africa and South America look like puzzle pieces that fit together

Multiple Choice

What cold environment feature was evidence to support the theory that the continents used to be joined?

• Same rocks were found on different continents

• Glacial grooves were found on different continents

• Fossilized evidence of the same organism found on different continents

• Africa and South America look like puzzle pieces that fit together

Multiple Choice

What evidence of an ancient organism was used to support the theory that the continents used to be joined?

• Same rocks were found on different continents

• Glacial grooves were found on different continents

• Fossilized evidence of the same organism found on different continents

• Africa and South America look like puzzle pieces that fit together

Multiple Choice

Originally the Continental drift theory was not well received by other scientist. Why?

• There was a competing theory at the time that was more believable.

• There was no data showing the continents ever moved.

• The scientists did not know the force responsible for moving the continents.

• The scientist presenting the data was unreliable.

Multiple Choice

What is the force that moves the continents? 

• Conduction 
• Convection 
• Radiation 
• Conveyor belts 

Multiple Choice

Massive pieces of land that are part of the Earth's crust and upper mantle

• Tectonic plates
• Trenches
• Divergent boundary
• Continental shelves

Multiple Choice

Look at this image. Which explanation best summarizes the hypothesis shown in the figure?

• The present continents will gradually move to form a single landmass called Pangaea.

• The continents were once a large landmass name Pangaea, which broke apart and gradually drifted to the present-day locations of the continents.

• The continents were once a large landmass, but the north and south magnetic poles pulled the continents apart toward the poles

• The continents were once a large landmass, but the ocean levels rose, and these oceans separate today's continents.

Multiple Choice

The Atlas Mountains in Africa are part of the same mountain chain as the Appalachian Mountains in North America, indicating that they were once connected. How does this evidence relate to the hypothesis of Continental Drift?

• This evidence shows that the two continents have similar landforms.

• This evidence shows that the mountains contain fossil evidence.

• This evidence shows that sea-floor spreading occurs, and magnetic reversal patterns exist on the sea floor.

• This evidence shows that they were once a single mountain range when the continents were connected and were later separated as the continents drifted apart.

Multiple Choice

___________ is the process by which

new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) forms as magma rises to Earth’s surface and solidifies at a mid-ocean ridge.

• Continental drift

• Sea-floor spreading

• Plate tectonics

• Mid-ocean range