Plate Tectonics Presentation

Multiple Choice

Which of the following best describes plate tectonics?

• The Earth's crust and upper mantle are broken into sections called plates that move around on top of the mantle.

• The Earth's core is made up of solid rock that never moves.

• The Earth's crust is a single solid piece that covers the planet.

• The Earth's mantle is the only layer that moves.

Multiple Choice

Which layer of the Earth is the outermost and what are its main components?

• Crust; Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum

• Mantle; Magnesium, Aluminum

• Core; Iron, Nickel

• Lithosphere; Oxygen, Magnesium

Multiple Choice

Which of the following elements is most abundant in the Earth's core?

• Iron

• Oxygen

• Silicon

• Magnesium

Fill in the Blank

The Earth's rocky outer crust is broken up into huge, thick plates that drift atop the soft, underlying ___.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following tectonic plates are located in the Pacific Ocean region?

• Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Philippine

• African, Eurasian, Arabian

• Nazca, Scotia, Caribbean

• Australian, South American, Cocos

Open Ended

Explain how the lithosphere is able to 'float' on the material below it. What properties allow this phenomenon?

Fill in the Blank

The plates of the lithosphere float on the ___

Multiple Choice

What is the asthenosphere?

• The rigid outer layer of the Earth

• The plastic layer below the lithosphere

• The layer above the lithosphere

• The core of the Earth

Multiple Select

Which of the following statements about plate types are correct?

• Ocean plates are below the continents

• Continental plates are below the oceans

• Ocean plates are below the oceans

• Continental plates are below the continents

Open Ended

Explain how the movement of the mantle affects the movement of tectonic plates.

Multiple Choice

What is the main result of rifting at divergent boundaries?

• Mountain formation

• Seafloor spreading

• Earthquake generation

• Volcano formation

Multiple Choice

Where do most divergent boundaries occur?

• On land

• In the atmosphere

• On the sea floor

• In the Earth's core

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a feature of divergent boundaries?

• Mid-ocean ridges

• Rift valleys

• Fissure volcanoes

• Subduction zones

Multiple Select

Which of the following statements about mid-ocean ridges is/are correct?

• They are underwater mountain chains.

• They form at convergent boundaries.

• Magma rises and forms new crust at these ridges.

• Older crust is pushed away from the ridge.

Open Ended

Explain the process of sea floor spreading and how it leads to the formation of new oceanic crust.

Fill in the Blank

The Red Sea is an example of a ___ boundary between the Arabian and African plates.

Multiple Choice

Based on the map of Iceland, what geological feature runs through the island and separates the North American and Eurasian plates?

• Transform fault

• Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• Subduction zone

• Hotspot

Multiple Choice

What geological feature is most likely to form at a subduction zone where an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate?

• Volcanoes

• Mountains

• Rift valleys

• Mid-ocean ridges

Open Ended

Explain how the process of subduction leads to the formation of volcanoes at convergent boundaries.

Multiple Select

Which of the following are types of convergent plate boundaries?

• Continental-Oceanic Collisions

• Oceanic-Oceanic Collisions

• Continental-Continental Collisions

• Transform Boundaries

Fill in the Blank

At a convergent boundary, the denser plate sinks beneath the less dense plate in a process called ___.

Multiple Choice

What is a possible result of subduction at a continental-oceanic convergent boundary?

• A chain of volcanoes forms along the plate boundary

• A mid-ocean ridge forms

• A transform fault develops

• A rift valley appears

Multiple Select

What features are commonly found at oceanic-oceanic convergent boundaries?

• Trench

• Island arc

• Mid-ocean ridge

• Volcanoes

Fill in the Blank

The Earth's crust and upper mantle are broken into sections called ___.

Open Ended

How would you explain the concept of plate tectonics to someone who has never heard of it before?