Plate Motion

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

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

Choose the letter D.

• D

• C

• B

• A

Fossil remains of Lystrosaurus (an extinct four-legged animal) have been discovered in India and South Africa. When they were living, all the Lystrosaurus lived together on land, and they could not swim. However, now there is an ocean between the Lystrosaurus fossils. What could explain how these fossils got so far apart?

• India 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.

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

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A team of geologists wants to study hard, solid rock under the surface of Earth. The team is considering drilling down in Saudi Arabia (1) or in the Arabian Sea (2). Where will the geologists find hard, solid rock?

• Both because, Earth’s entire outer layer is made of hard, solid rock

• neither under 1 nor 2, because there is water under both places

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

• 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.

• 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.

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Soft, solid ---- from underneath the plates rose and hardened, adding solid ---- to the edges of both plates.

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What does plate motion cause?

• Plate motions cause mountains to rise where plates push together, or converge, and continents to fracture and oceans to form where plates pull apart, or diverge.

• Plate motions cause mountains to rise where plates pull apart and continents to fracture and oceans to form where plates push together.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

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What causes plate motion?

• The heat from radioactive processes within the planet's interior.

• The heat from radioactive processes within the planet's exterior.

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A team of geologists learned from GPS data that two continents that have an ocean between them are moving toward each other. Diego’s little brother hears this and cannot believe that continents can move and is worried that those two continents are going to run into each other.

How would you explain to him what is happening?

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There are two continents with an ocean between them. Today, the continents have very different plants and animals on them. However, a geologist found fossils of the same type of organism on both continents. Millions of years ago, when this type of organism was alive, we know it lived in only one place. The geologist is using the fossils as evidence to argue that the two continents used to be touching.

How could the continents have gotten so far apart, and how long did it take for this to happen?

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1