Mantle convection causes tectonic plate motion and is responsible for the slow movement of continents.

Which of the following processes causes one tectonic plate to sink beneath another at a subduction zone?

• folding

• slab pull

• ridge push

• seafloor spreading

Plate tectonic forces are responsible for the slow movement of continents over geologic time. Which of the following processes occur in the mantle below a convergent plate boundary?

• folding

• slab pull

• ridge push

• seafloor spreading

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The illustration below shows some of Earth’s tectonic plates. The arrows indicate the direction in which some of these plates are moving.

According to this map, where can you infer that mountains are being formed?

• between the Scotia Plate and the Pacific Plate

• between the Cocos Plate and the Caribbean Plate

• between the South American Plate and the African Plate

• between the North America Plate and the Antarctic Plate

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Most tectonic plates have both oceanic and continental crust. How are oceanic and continental crust different?

• Oceanic crust is thinner and lighter than continental crust.

• Oceanic crust is thicker and lighter than continental crust.

• Oceanic crust is thinner and denser than continental crust.

• Oceanic crust is thicker and denser than continental crust.

Most tectonic plates have both oceanic and continental crust. How are oceanic and continental crust different?

• Oceanic crust is heavier because it has more iron and magnesium than continental crust

  has.

• Oceanic crust is lighter because it has more iron and magnesium than continental crust

  has.

• Oceanic crust is heavier because it has more silicon and aluminum than continental crust

  has.

• Oceanic crust is lighter because it has more silicon and aluminum than continental crust

  has.

Most divergent plate boundaries lie under the world’s oceans. Which of the following is a process that occurs at divergent boundaries?

• magnetic reversals

• recycling of crustal material

• formation of continental crust

• formation of mid-ocean ridges

Most divergent plate boundaries lie under the world’s oceans. Which of the following is a process that occurs at divergent boundaries?

• subduction of old crust

• formation of new crust

• plates slide past each other

• continental collisions occur

The figure below shows the process of subduction.

What can you conclude from this figure?

• The two tectonic plates are sliding past each other horizontally along Earth’s surface.

• The two tectonic plates are moving apart to create a mid-ocean ridge on the sea floor.

• The two tectonic plates are converging so that a mountain range forms on the continent.

• The two tectonic plates are diverging causing the continental plate to buckle and form

  mountains.

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Convection currents in the mantle contribute to tectonic plate movement. What is a convection current?

• the transfer of energy by direct contact

• the transfer of energy by the movement of matter

• the transfer of energy through a solid, such as the Earth’s crust

• the transfer of energy from a region of lower temperature to a region of higher

  temperature

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Notice how the figure below shows both continental crust and oceanic crust. In this figure, shading indicates density. The more darkly shaded a region is, the denser that region is.

What can you infer from the figure?

• Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust.

• Continental crust is denser than oceanic crust.

• Oceanic crust does not contain as much iron as continental crust.

• Continental crust contains more magnesium than oceanic crust.