Plate Tectonics

Which of the following evidence helps support Alfred Wegener's hypothesis? Choose the THREE that apply.

• evidence of similar fossils in different locations

• evidence from drilling beneath Earth's surface to find fossils in other locations

• evidence from scientists looking at animals living now living in those locations

• evidence from similar coal deposits in different locations

• evidence of tropical plants in locations that are now cold

How can scientists studying the ocean know that continental drift took place?

• They can test the temperature of the water and see if it is similar to other locations.

• They can look for sea-floor spreading and know that magma pouring onto the ocean floor caused mid-ocean ridges to form.

• They can look through history books and sailors' log books to see what data they recorded.

• There is no way to know for sure that continental drift took place. It is most likely a myth.

If the plates are continually moving and drifting apart, why isn't the

Earth growing larger?

• There are many subduction areas found at ocean trenches. This means that the oceanic crust is being recycled into molten rock and sinking back into the Earth.

• There are so many mid-ocean ridges that occur at the mantle of the Earth. This means that the ridges are formed in the mantle and nearly fully appear on the ocean floor.

• Many different layers of the mantle have been discovered. This means that the main mantle, right beneath the crust, is just the right temperature to cause the crust to not grow.

• There are so many trenches found on the ocean floor that occur at the subduction zones. This means that the trenches are "swallowing up" the chance for subduction zones to occur. Only uplift occurs on the ocean floor.

Answer explanation

REALLY read the correct answer on this one. It is a tricky one...I will explain if you need help. Just raise your hand to ask me.

What happens first in the process of sea-floor spreading?

• The ocean floor on both sides of the crack moves father away from the mid-ocean ridge.

• Molten material flows upward in a crack in the Earth's surface.

• The ocean floor gradually becomes wider.

• The molten material hardens into solid strips of rock on both sides of the crack.

Wegener developed the hypothesis that Earth's landmasses had once been fused together , and then slowly broke apart in a process called _____.

• continental drift

• subduction

• Pangaea

• divergence

The zipper-like mountain ranges that run across the floors of the ocean are called _____.

• tectonic plates

• mid-ocean ridges

• subduction zones

• convergent boundaries

The process by which oceanic crust sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary.

• mid-ocean ridge

• sea-floor spreading

• subduction

• ocean trench

An undersea valley that represents one of the deepest parts of the ocean.

• mid-ocean ridge

• sea-floor spreading

• subduction

• ocean trench

Who developed the hypothesis that all continents had once been fused together?

• Albert Einstein

• Alfred Wegener

• Edward Suess

• Jordan Sweeney

What is the name of the proposed original supercontinent?

• Mesosauras

• Titan

• Pangaea

• Gondwana