STAAR Review - Plate Tectonics

Alfred Wegener hypothesized that Earth’s continents had once been a single, large continent.
Which data was Wegener unable to collect because of limited technology at the time of his studies?

• Similar rocks in similar structures are found on different continents across Earth.
• Facing coastlines of adjacent continents fit together like puzzle pieces.
• The same fossils are found on continents separated by oceans.
• The ages of deep-ocean rocks indicate seafloor spreading at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

The Himalayan Mountain Chain is most likely the result of which of the following interactions between major tectonic plates?

• The Indo-Australian Plate is moving toward the Eurasian Plate
• The South American Plate is moving away from the African Plate
• The Pacific Plate is sliding northward past the North American Plate
• The Eurasian Plate and the North American Plate are diverging

A map of tectonic plate boundary interactions and a table describing them are provided.
Which boundary interaction will most likely result in a rift valley?

• Boundary Interaction 1
• Boundary Interaction 2
• Boundary Interaction 3
• Boundary Interaction 4

A transform boundary, where one tectonic plate slides past another, is likely to result in which of the following?

• Frequent earthquakes
• Rift valley formation
• Intense weathering
• Mountain building

One piece of evidence for Plate Tectonic Theory is seafloor spreading.
The diagram provided shows the pattern of rock on either side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The evidence that indicates that plates are moving apart at this location is that, as one looks at the rocks on either side, one sees that -

• rocks are older the farther they are from the center
• there is a thickening of the crust where the sides meet
• rock types on one side are very different from the other
• one rock layer melts as it moves under the other side