Evidence for Plate Tectonics

How do tectonic plates move at mid-ocean ridges?

• The plates move toward each other

• One plate slides horizontally past the other

• One plate is forced above the other

• The plates move away from each other

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The diagram shows bands of oceanic crust at a mid-ocean ridge. Which of the following conclusions is true?

• Bands A and B are older than bands C and D

• Bands A and B are younger than bands C or D

• Bands A and D are older than bands B and C

• Bands A and D are younger than bands B and C

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Which of the following is evidence that supports the theory of plate tectonics?

• symmetrical patterns of rock features on either side of mid-ocean ridges

• the relatively young age of the oldest oceanic crust

• the apparent fit of the coastlines of continents

• all of the above

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

After plotting volcanoes and earthquakes, scientists noticed a pattern, what did the pattern outline?

• fault-block mountains

• abyssal plains

• continental shelves

• plate boundaries

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

What kind of evidence did Alfred Wegener lack that would have better supported his continental drift hypothesis?

• mountain ranges that appear to have once been continuous but that are now divided by large water bodies

• mechanisms such as mantle convection and subduction that explain how continents move over time

• similar fossils and glacial deposits found on opposite sides of an ocean

• up-to-date maps that accurately plot the shapes of continental coastlines

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-3

The heat transfer process caused by the uneven distribution of thermal energy in Earth's interior is called _____.

• ridge push

• seafloor spreading

• mantle convection

• slab pull

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

Where is oceanic crust destroyed and recycled?

• at divergent boundaries

• at mid-ocean ridges

• at subduction zones

• at transform boundaries

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Which of the following statements is true about crustal rocks at a mid-ocean ridge?

• Crustal rocks to the East of a mid-ocean ridge are older than crustal rocks to the west

• Crustal rocks to the west of a mid-ocean ridge are older than crustal rocks to the east

• Crustal rocks become older as their distance from a mid-ocean ridge increase

• Crustal rocks become younger as their distance from a mid-ocean ridge increases

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

Earth's crust is being actively recycled. Where is the new oceanic crust created?

• at convergent boundaries

• at mid-ocean ridges

• at subduction zones

• at transform boundaries

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The fossil plant Glossopteris has been found in Africa, Australia, India, South America, and Antarctica. This evidence helps support the idea that _____.

• the continents were all once covered by ice

• the continents have always been at the same locations they are now

• prehistoric plants were able to grow in ice-covered regiions

• the continents have moved

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3