Earth's Formation and Continental Drift

List the 7 continents.

• North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica

• North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Arctic

• North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Arctic

• North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, Antarctica

4.6 billion years ago, the Earth is created from what?

• Cosmic dust and gases

• Stardust and solar flares

• Meteorites and comets

• Volcanic eruptions and tectonic movements

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-6

The heaviest elements, including ______ and ______, sink in the early molten Earth to form the _______.

• Iron, nickel, core

• Oxygen, silicon, crust

• Carbon, hydrogen, atmosphere

• Iron, carbon, mantle

The lighter elements, including ______ and ______, rise towards the surface and erupt in volcanoes as molten rock.

• Oxygen, silicon

• Carbon, hydrogen

• Iron, nickel

• Aluminum, magnesium

Most scientists believe that the water that formed our oceans came from many ______, which contained water.

• Underground reservoirs

• Comets and asteroids

• Oceanic vents

• Glacial melts

How old was Earth believed to be when the first early, relatively stable land masses formed?

• 1 billion years old

• 2 billion years old

• 3 billion years old

• 4 billion years old

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS1-6

NGSS.HS-ESS2-1

What continent is believed to be the site of the earliest giant continental land mass on Earth?

• Africa

• Asia

• Australia

• Antarctica

What type of rock formed the first continents?

• Basalt

• Granite

• Limestone

• Sandstone

As radioactive uranium decays it turns into what stable element?

• Thorium

• Lead

• Plutonium

• Radium

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8

Why is granite less dense than other rock in Earth’s mantle?

• It contains more iron

• It has a higher water content

• It has larger crystal structures

• It is formed under less pressure