Geological Evolution of North America

What caused the formation of the Panthalassa Ocean?

• The uplift of the Colorado Plateau

• The subduction of the Farallon Plate

• The collision of tectonic plates

• The rifting of the supercontinent Rodinia

Which supercontinent formed around 250 million years ago?

• Gondwana

• Pangea

• Laurentia

• Rodinia

What geological feature was formed due to the immense pressure during the formation of Pangea?

• The Sierra Nevada Mountains

• The Appalachian Mountains

• The Rocky Mountains

• The Grand Canyon

What process causes the Farallon Plate to sink beneath North America?

• Subduction

• Rifting

• Erosion

• Uplift

Which mountain range was formed due to the compression of North America by the subducting Farallon Plate?

• The Sierra Nevada

• The Appalachians

• The Andes

• The Rockies

What geological feature is responsible for the formation of the Grand Canyon?

• The Yellowstone Hotspot

• The Farallon Plate

• The Colorado Plateau

• The San Andreas Fault

What is the name of the fault that formed due to the convergence of the Pacific and North American plates?

• The Basin and Range Province

• The San Andreas Fault

• The Cascadia Subduction Zone

• The Mid-Atlantic Ridge

What geological process is responsible for exposing the granite of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada?

• Subduction

• Volcanism

• Uplift and erosion

• Rifting

What is the current geological feature beneath Yellowstone National Park?

• A mid-ocean ridge

• A supervolcano

• A subduction zone

• A rift zone

What is the potential impact of an eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano?

• Formation of a new fault line

• Creation of a new ocean

• Formation of a new mountain range

• Blanketing most of the continent with ash