Regents Earth Science Dynamic Earth

Which layer of the Earth is inferred to be composed of solid nickel and iron?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Oceanic crust is sliding beneath the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific Ocean, forming the Aleutian Trench at a

• convergent plate boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate

• convergent plate boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Juan de Fuca Plate

• divergent plate boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate

• divergent plate boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Juan de Fuca Plate

Which location is positioned over a mantle hot spot?

• A

• B

• C

• D

The map below shows California and a section of the San Andreas Fault.

What is the primary geologic process occurring along the San Andreas Fault?

• transform movement

• spreading movement

• subduction

• convergence

Compared to the oceanic crust, the continental crust is usually

• thicker, with a less dense granitic composition

• thicker, with a more dense basaltic composition

• thinner, with a less dense granitic composition

• thinner, with a more dense basaltic composition

Which mantle hot spot is located directly above a mid-ocean ridge plate boundary?

• Yellowstone

• Iceland

• Canary Island

• Hawaii

Earth’s magnetic field has reversed itself several times during the past. This pattern of magnetic reversal is best preserved in

• metamorphic bedrock in mountain ranges

• bedrock with fossils containing radioactive carbon-14

• layers of sedimentary bedrock of the Grand Canyon

• igneous bedrock of the oceanic crust

Which two features are commonly found at divergent plate boundaries?

• mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys

• wide valleys and deltas

• ocean trenches and subduction zones

• hot spots and island arcs

Which process prevented P-waves from arriving at seismic station B?

• refraction

• reflection

• convection

• conduction

The cross section represents the pattern of seismic wave movement away from an earthquake. Point W represents a location at the boundary between two layers of Earth’s interior. Points X, Y, and Z represent seismic stations on Earth’s surface.

Which data best describe the depth below Earth’s surface and the density of Earth’s interior at location W?

• Depth: 600 km

  Density: changes from 3.4 g/cm3 to 5.6 g/ cm3

• Depth: 1000 km

  Density: averages 4.5 g/ cm3

• Depth: 2900 km

  Density: changes from 5.6 g/ cm3 to 9.9 g/ cm3

• Depth: 5100 km

  Density: averages 11.1 g/ cm3