Week 11 Continental Drift and Sea-Floor Spreading

Which of the following scientists developed the hypothesis of Continental Drift?

• Wegener

• Hess

• Einstein

• Churchill

Originally, the Hypothesis of Continental Drift was not well received by other scientists. Why?

• There was a competing theory at the time which was more believable.

• There was no data showing the continents ever moved.

• The scientists didn't know the force responsible for the moving continents.

• The scientist presenting the data was unreliable.

Which of the following discoveries is evidence supporting the idea of continental drift?

• the discovery of matching plant and animal fossils found on different continents

• the discovery that most earthquakes are near plate boundaries

• the discovery that rock age increases as distance from mid-ocean ridges increases

• the discovery of sea-floor rock patterns to magnetic reverals

Look at this image. Which explanation best summarizes the hypothesis shown in the figure?

• The present continents will gradually move to form a single landmass called Pangaea.

• The continents were once a large landmass name Pangaea, which broke apart and gradually drifted to the present-day locations of the continents.

• The continents were once a large landmass, but the north and south magnetic poles pulled the continents apart toward the poles

• The continents were once a large landmass, but the ocean levels rose, and these oceans separate today's continents.

In the early 1900s, a hypothesis was introduced that proposed a single large landmass broke into smaller landmasses and formed the continents, which drifted in their present locations. Which is the name of this hypothesis?

• continental drift

• continental shift

• plate movement

• plate tectonics

Look at this image, which shows changes at mid-ocean ridges. The highlighted section shows how one location of the sea floor moves over time. Which process is demonstrated in this image?

• Continental drift

• earthquakes

• plate collisions

• sea-floor spreading

Which of the following statements provided early evidence supporting the hypothesis of continental drift?

• interlocking shapes of present-day coastlines

• mid-ocean ridges generating new sea floor

• matching magnetic patterns on the sea floor

• dating of rocks showing increase in age as distance form mid-ocean ridge increases

There are long mountain belts that divide the sea floor and generate new sea floor as magma rises and erupts onto Earth's surface. What are these mountain belts known as?

• magnetic poles

• mid-ocean ridges

• ocean trenches

• subduction zones

The Atlas Mountains in Africa are part of the same mountain chain as the Appalachian Mountains in North America, indicating that they were once connected. How does this evidence relate to the hypothesis of Continental Drift?

• This evidence shows that the two continents have similar landforms.

• This evidence shows that the mountains contain fossil evidence.

• This evidence shows that sea-floor spreading occurs, and magnetic reversal patterns exist on the sea floor.

• This evidence shows that they were once a single mountain range when the continents were connected and were later separated as the continents drifted apart.

Along the mid-ocean ridge, magma rises to the surface and solidifies, forming new sea floor that pushes the older, existing rock in opposite directions away from the ridge is called

• sea-floor spreading

• ridge push

• slab pull

• subduction