Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift

What is the Theory of Continental Drift?

• New continents are continually being created

  and destroyed.

• The layout of the continents is the same today

  as it has always been

• The continents have always been separate but

  may one day drift together to form a single

  continent

• All the continents were once one continent that

  broke up and drifted apart over hundreds of

  millions of years

Where does magma rise to the top to become new crust?

• one plate splits into two distinct plates

• one plate grinds against another plate

• two plates separate and move apart from one

  another.

• two plates meet and collide with one another.

The theory of continental drift states that all the continents were once part of one big landmass called Pangaea. Who was the scientist that came up with this theory?

• Harry Hess

• Bill Nye

• Alfred Wegener

• Albert Einstein

Which of the following evidence was used to support theory of continental drift?

• A) Continents fit together like a puzzle

• B) Similar fossils were found on separate continents

• C) Different types of rock, mountain structures, landforms are found all over the world.

• D) All of the above

• E) Only A and B

If you took rock samples from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the youngest rock would be

• located where the plates collide

• located at the place where rocks are furthest from the rift valley

• Located at the center of the ridge (rift valley), where oceanic crust is formed

• none of the above; all the rocks would be the same age

Seafloor Spreading occurs at a

• convergent boundary

• divergent boundary

• transform boundary

• continental boundary

Tectonic plates float on top of the

• crust

• asthenosphere

• lower mantle

• outer core

This picture shows

• a transform boundary where one continental crust is sliding past another continental crust

• a convergent boundary where one continental crust is moving towards another continental crust and mountains are forming

• a divergent boundary, where one oceanic crust is moving away from another oceanic crust

• a convergent boundary where one oceanic crust is moving toward a continental crust

Who is the person credited with developing the theory of continental drift?

• Harry Hess

• Galileo

• Alfred Wegener

• Newton

What is this a picture of?

• plate tectonics

• continental drift

• pangea

• glacier scaring