Plate Tectonics & Layers of the Earth (7th ICT)

Which statement best describes what Earth’s outer layer is like underneath the surface in the image?

• Underneath both the soil and the ocean, Earth’s outer layer is made of sand and water.

• Underneath both the soil and the ocean, Earth’s outer layer is made of hard, solid rock.

• Underneath the soil, Earth’s outer layer is made of hard, solid rock. Underneath the ocean, Earth’s outer layer is made of sand.

• Underneath the soil, Earth’s outer layer is made of water.

Dr. Raisa and her team of geologists have been studying GPS data that shows that two plates moved apart. Which diagram shows what happened between the two plates as they moved away from each other?

• Diagram A: A new plate from underneath filled in the gap that was created by the plates moving apart.

• Diagram B: Sand and dirt filled in the gap that was created by the plates moving apart.

• Diagram C: Ocean water filled in the gap that was created by the plates moving apart.

• Diagram D: Soft, solid rock from underneath the plates rose and hardened, adding solid rock to the edges of both plates.

Dr. Patel and her team have been using GPS to track two plates that are moving toward each other. Which diagram shows what is happening at the place where the plates are moving toward each other?

• Diagram A: Two plates are hitting each other, and the plates are breaking into pieces, creating sand.

• Diagram B: Two plates are pushing against each other, causing the edges to bend upward.

• Diagram C: One plate is going underneath the other plate and sinking into the soft rock below.

• Diagram D: One plate is going underneath the other plate and sinking into the ocean below.

Similar rock formations have been discovered in Brazil and South Africa. These rock formations were formed at the same time and are made of the same types of rocks. What could explain how these rocks got so far apart?

• Brazil and South Africa are parts of different plates. The plates were sometimes pushed far apart by earthquakes, and soft, solid rock from underneath got added to the edges of the plates.

• Brazil and South Africa are parts of different plates. The plates floated away from each other across the ocean.

• Brazil and South Africa are parts of different plates. The plates slowly moved apart as new plates from underneath got added between them over millions of years.

• Brazil and South Africa are parts of different plates. The plates slowly moved far apart as soft, solid rock from underneath got added to the edges of the plates over millions of years.

In the past, Africa used to be farther away from Europe than it is now (shown above). What could explain why Africa is closer to Europe now than it was before?

• Africa and Europe are parts of different plates. The plates floated toward each other across the ocean.

• Africa and Europe are parts of different plates. The plates were sometimes pushed toward each other by earthquakes, and one plate went under the other plate into soft, solid rock.

• Africa and Europe are parts of different plates. The plates slowly moved toward each other over millions of years. When the plates hit each other, they broke into smaller pieces.

• Africa and Europe are parts of different plates. The plates slowly moved toward each other as one plate went under the other plate into soft, solid rock over millions of years.

Patterns on this map tell us that . . .

• volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in the following order: volcanic activity, earthquake, volcanic activity, earthquake, and so on.

• volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in random locations all over the map.

• volcanic activity and earthquakes can cause damage to buildings and hurt people.

• volcanic activity and earthquakes happened in similar areas.

Earths outer layer is divided into sections called

• zones

• plates

• continents

• countries

The plates of Earth's outer layer can

• move very slowly

• move very fast

• not move at all

• move to fast to measure

Plates are destroyed at

• Convergant Plate Boundaries

• Divergant Plate Boundaries

• Transform Plate Boundaries

Earth's plates move at a rate

• 5 feet per month

• 1 foot per week

• 60 miles per hour

• to slow to be seen by humans but about 1 cm per year