Plate Tectonics

When comparing the lithosphere to the asthenosphere, which statement is correct?

• The asthenosphere is part of the crust, and the lithosphere is part of the mantle.

• The lithosphere is a layer of flowing hot magma that supports the solid thin layer of the asthenosphere.

• The lithosphere is brittle and rigid, and the asthenosphere is plastic-like and flowing.

• The asthenosphere is a thin layer that sits on top of the lithosphere.

Which statement is true regarding the movement of the continents on the opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean?

• They are drifting closer together.

• They have remained the same distance apart.

• They drifted further apart and then drifted closer together.

• They are drifting farther apart.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

What causes the Earth's crustal plates to move?

• convection currents in the Earth's mantle

• revolution of the Earth around the Sun

• volcanism within the Earth's lithosphere

• the rotation of the Earth on its axis

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Which layer of the Earth is described as "plastic and flowing"?

• asthenosphere

• atmosphere

• lithosphere

• troposphere

When parts of the upper mantle collide with each other, the force causes changes on the surface like volcanoes and fractures. Why does the collision not impact the asthenosphere?

• The asthenosphere is plastic and brittle.

• The asthenosphere is plastic and flowing.

• The asthenosphere is rigid and flowing.

• The asthenosphere is rigid and brittle.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Which statement is supported by the Theory of Continental Drift?

• Present-day continents of South America and Africa are moving toward each other.

• Continents move due to changes in the Earth's orbit around the Sun.

• Present-day continents of South America and Africa once fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.

• Continents move due to changes in the tilt of the Earth's axis.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Where does most present-day faulting of rock occur?

• crustal plate boundaries

• interior areas of continental crustal plates

• polar regions of the Earth

• interior areas of oceanic crustal plates

Which statement is true according to the theory of plate tectonics?

• Lithospheric plates are destroyed at the mid-ocean ridges.

• Continents drift because they rest on lithospheric plates that move.

• Lithospheric plates move because the inner core of the Earth is liquid.

• Transform boundaries form when two lithospheric plates collide.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The continents on Earth today are not in the same location as they were 300 million years ago. What concept provides the best explanation for the drifting of the continents?

• global warming

• law of conservation of mass

• seismic probability

• theory of plate tectonics

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Geologists believe that millions of years ago all the continents were united and formed which supercontinent?

• Gondwanaland

• Pangaea

• Eurasia

• Atlantis

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4