Plate Tectonics

What are the mechanisms that have been proposed to explain the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates?

• slab pull and sea-floor spreading

• mantle convection and continental drift

• sea-floor spreading and continental drift

• mantle convection, ridge push, and slab pull

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

A plate boundary is a place where two tectonic plates meet. There are several types of tectonic plate boundaries. Which statement below shows the correct definition of a tectonic plate boundary?

• At a divergent boundary, plates separate.

• At a transform boundary, plates move apart.

• At a convergent boundary, plates slide past each other.

• At a divergent boundary, one plate sinks under another plate.

The movement of tectonic plates is so slow and gradual that you cannot see or feel them moving. As a result, scientists depend on the global positioning system (GPS) to verify tectonic plate motion. Satellites can measure the small distances that GPS ground stations move over time. In what units is the movement of tectonic plates measured?

• . meters/day

• meters/week

• centimeters/year

• kilometers/month

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

Identify this type of plate movement

• Divergent Boundary

• Convergent Boundary

• Transform Boundary

• None

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Tectonic plates can be made of continental crust or oceanic crust, or a combination of the two. Besides their locations, how else are these two kinds of crust different?

• Continental crust is thinner than oceanic crust.

• Continental crust is thicker than oceanic crust.

• Tectonic plates made of continental crust are larger than plates made of oceanic crust.

• Tectonic plates made of continental crust are smaller than plates made of oceanic crust.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

    __________       describes the large scale movement of the Earth’s lithosphere.

• Crust Displacement

• Mantle Movement

• Plate Tectonic

• None

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

This scientist was the first to develop the idea of continental drift.

• Wegener

• Einstein

• Copernicus

• Hawking

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Identify this type of plate movement

• Divergent Boundary

• Convergent Boundary

• Transform Boundary

• None

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Tectonic Plates are the pieces of the ____________ that move around on top of the asthenosphere.

• Lithosphere

• Mantle

• Hard Rocks

• Both B and C

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Around 200 – 250 million years ago ______ started to break into separate plates. 

• Oceans

• China

• Pangea

• None

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3