Plate Tectonic Movement

Plate tectonics is our current theory of how the movement of continental masses relates to the movement of ocean basins. This movement explains many phenomena, such as

• Earthquakes

• Volcanoes

• Tsunamis

• All of the above

The observation that the continents fit together like puzzle pieces is called

• Continental plowing

• Continental drift

• Wandering continents

• Shape matching of continents

Plate tectonics, or the movement of pieces of Earth's crust, is thought to be caused by

• Hot spots

• Convection currents in Earth's crust

• Convection currents in Earth's mantle

• Convection currents in Earth's core

The Earth's continents were once connected in one giant continent called

• Eurasia

• Giganticus

• Pacifica

• Pangaea

Scientists found that the continents were moving apart from each other due to magma rising out of mid-ocean ridges, and they called this

• Sea floor spreading

• Sea floor rising

• Changing sea floor

• Underwater volcanos

Which person was the first to publish and publicise his view that a single continent existed about 300 million years ago?

• Albert Einstein

• Sir Francis Bacon

• Alfred Wegener

• Alexander Du Toit

Wegener's old theory, called sea floor spreading, was found too simplistic because it did not explain how the continents would move. It was replaced by a theory called

• Plate tectonics

• Crustal forces

• Paleomagnetism

• Weather forces

Going from earth's surface to the interior, what trends are found?

• Density and temperature increase

• Density and temperature decrease

• Density increases and temperature decreases

• Density decreases and temperature increases

Approximately how many tectonic plates are there?

• 3

• 6

• 12

• 24

Which of the following was the main reason why scientists did not accept Wegener's hypothesis?

• Wegener was smarter than all other scientists

• Animals could swim

• Wegener could not explain the mechanism for movement of the continents

• Continental landmasses were too big to move slowly over Earth’s surface