KIP: Plate Tectonics & Earth's Surface

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements best explains how convection currents move tectonic plates?

• Convection currents in the mantle cause the plates to move by heating and cooling the rock, creating a cycle of rising and sinking material.

• The core directly pushes the plates apart with its heat.

• The crust expands and contracts, causing the plates to move.

• Earthquakes alone are responsible for plate movement.

Labeling

Label the diagrams of plate boundaries with divergent, convergent, or transform.

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Convergent

Divergent

Transform

Multiple Choice

Look at the image with two empty boxes for labels.

How can you correctly label the boundary type in each box?

• Both labels should say transform boundary.

• Both labels should say divergent boundary.

• From left to right, the labels should say convergent boundary, then transform boundary.

• From left to right, the labels should say divergent boundary, then convergent boundary.

Multiple Choice

At which boundary type are mountains usually formed?

• Convergent

• Divergent

• Transform

• Convection

Multiple Choice

How does plate tectonics cause ocean basin formation?

• New crust forms due to seafloor spreading at convergent boundaries.

• New crust forms due to seafloor spreading at divergent boundaries.

• Oceanic trenches form at transform boundaries.

• Oceanic trenches form at divergent boundaries.

Multiple Choice

Which statement best explains how tectonic plates form ocean basins?

• Ocean basins form at convergent boundaries when one plate sinks beneath another, creating trenches and mountain ranges.

• Ocean basins form at divergent boundaries when convection currents in the mantle push magma upward, pulling plates apart so magma cools and forms new seafloor.

• Ocean basins form at transform boundaries when plates slide past each other, causing earthquakes that create new seafloor.

• Ocean basins form when erosion wears away land, allowing ocean water to fill the space.

Multiple Choice

Which seafloor features are most commonly found where new ocean basins form?

• Deep-sea trenches and folded mountains

• Coral reefs and barrier islands

• Sand dunes and river deltas

• Mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys, and volcanoes

Multiple Choice

Subduction zones can result in all of the following geologic features EXCEPT:

• Volcanoes

• Mountains

• Mid-ocean ridges

• Trenches

Open Ended

Satellite technology has allowed scientists to detect vertical movements of rock on Earth. Over a 4-year period, satellites measured locations in the central portion of the Alps Mountains and determined there was an increase of approximately +2.5 mm per year. The Alps are located on the Eurasian plate and are labeled on the map.

Describe the geologic process that is most likely responsible for the Alps continuing to grow taller. Refer to specific plates when describing movement.