Rocks and Tectonic Plates

Geologists cannot yet predict earthquakes because

• they have too much data.

• they can’t be sure when and where stress will be released along a fault.

• they need to know where all past earthquakes occurred.

• there are too many faults to monitor.

Rock that forms from the cooling of magma below the surface or lava at the surface is called

• sedimentary rock.

• metamorphic rock.

• igneous rock.

• coarse-grained rock.

Heat and pressure deep beneath Earth’s surface can change any rock into

• sedimentary rock.

• metamorphic rock.

• igneous rock.

• coarse-grained rock.

Erosion on a mountain range that was pushed up as a result of two continental plates colliding will most likely lead to the formation of

• sedimentary rock.

• metamorphic rock.

• igneous rock.

• coarse-grained rock.

Heat from the core of the earth causes

• The entire inside of the earth to be liquid

• trees to grow

• convection currents in the mantle

• sedimentary rock.

Lava at Earth’s surface or ____________________ below Earth’s surface cools and hardens to form igneous rock

• convection currents

• magma

• relative

• mid-ocean ridge

Samples collected by the Glomar Challenger showed that the youngest rocks on the ocean floor are found in the center of ______________________________.

• convection currents

• magma

• relative

• mid-ocean ridge

A rock layer’s __________________________ age is its age compared to the ages of other rock layers.

• convection currents

• magma

• relative

• mid-ocean ridge

The place where two plates come together is known as a

• transform boundary.

• divergent boundary.

• convergent boundary.

• rift valley.

What happens when subduction occurs along convergent plate boundaries?

• The dense oceanic plate slides beneath the less dense continental plate.

• the spreading of two oceanic plates creates new ocean floor.

• One plate slides past another plate.

• Two continental plates collide and make mountains.