Benchmark Review - Plate Tectonics

In some areas of the world, like California and Japan, earthquakes are a common occurrence. How can this best be explained?

• The strong ocean currents are undermining both areas causing earthquakes.

• Both areas are located near the edge of the Pacific Ocean, the unstable sand causes earthquakes.

• Both areas are subjected to strong ocean wind and waves that causes earthquakes.

• Both areas are on the boundary of active plates, the motion of the plates causes earthquakes.

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Observe this diagram of a plate boundary. One statement BEST describes what is happening. It is that

• the oceanic crust is melting.

• the denser ceanic crust is subducting under the less dense oceanic crust

• volcanic islands are forming.

• the tectonic plates are moving away from each other.

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The map in the picture shows tectonic plate boundaries. This map would be useful in predicting the location of future

• droughts

• hurricanes

• earthquakes

• tornadoes

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What geological forces might be responsible for this range of mountains?

• diverging tectonic plates
• erosion of the land by the ocean
• converging tectonic plates
• deposition of sediments by the ocean
  

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Earthquake epicenters (center of where the earthquakes started) were mapped for a 35 year period in the diagram above. The black dots indicate these epicenters. The black dots appear along what feature on Earth?

• hot spots

• plate boundaries

• rift zones

• sea floor spreading

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The Atlantic Ocean gets about 3-5 ______ wider each year.

• centimeters
• kilometers
• miles
• meters

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___________ currents in the Earth's mantle cause plate to shift at their boundaries. This movement also causes earthquakes and volcanic activity.

• conduction

• convection

• radiation

• ocean

What is the source of energy that drives plate movement?

• the subducton of the sea floor

• the different densities of the oceanic and crustal plates

• convection currents in the mantle

• the friction force between the plates that move past each other

Where would sea floor spreading most likely occur?

• At convergent boundaries (oceanic vs. oceanic)

• At convergent boundaries (oceanic vs. continental)

• At divergent plate boundaries (oceanic vs. oceanic)

• At transform plate boundaries

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The Marianas Trench, where the Pacific Plate descends under the leading edge of the Eurasian Plate, is the deepest sea floor in the world. These ocean trenches form when two oceanic plates collide

• and the older, less dense of the two plates rides over the edge of the older plate.

• when convection currents in the mantle force the older plate downward.

• and the younger, denser of the two plates, rides over the edge of the older plate.

• and the plates are approximately the same age and density.

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