Plate Tectonics Quiz

What is the theory that explains the structure and behavior of the Earth?

• Continental Drift

• Plate Tectonics

• Theory of Relativity

• Theory of Evolution

Who proposed the idea of continental drift and the supercontinent Pangaea?

• Bruce Heezen

• Harry Hess

• Alfred Wegener

• Marie Tharp

What evidence did Alfred Wegener use to support his theory of continental drift?

• All of the above

• Location of rock types

• Trends of mountain ranges

• Spatial distribution of fossils

What did the physiographic map of the Atlantic ocean floor reveal?

• Flat featureless plain

• Mountains and valleys

• Deep trenches

• All of the above

What did Harry Hess propose about the seafloor?

• It is formed by seafloor spreading

• It is a flat featureless plain

• It is made of continental crust

• It is destroyed in ocean trenches

What is the process called when the oceanic crust is pushed beneath the continental crust?

• Plate collision

• Continental drift

• Subduction

• Seafloor spreading

What type of plate boundary is the San Andreas Fault?

• Transform boundary

• Subduction zone

• Convergent boundary

• Divergent boundary

What happens when two continental plates collide?

• One plate is subducted

• Both plates are subducted

• The crust is compressed and mountain ranges are formed

• The crust is destroyed in deep trenches

What is the average speed at which tectonic plates move?

• Faster than the speed of light

• As fast as our fingernails grow

• Slower than a snail's pace

• Instantaneous

What is the current understanding of how continents 'grow'?

• Continents are formed by collision of crustal fragments

• Continents are formed by seafloor spreading

• Continents are formed by erosion of mountains

• Continents are formed by volcanic activity