Exploring Plate Tectonics with Oreos

What is the primary material needed for the Oreo lab?

• A glass of water

• A pack of cards

• A plate and one Oreo

• A set of markers

What does breaking the Oreo in half simulate in the experiment?

• The eruption of a volcano

• The division of continents

• The formation of mountains

• The breaking of Earth's crust into plates

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

What is the purpose of dividing the plate into three sections labeled divergent, transform, and convergent?

• To organize the cookies

• To simulate different environments

• To make cleaning up easier

• To represent different plate boundaries

What does the cream filling of the Oreo represent in the experiment?

• The Earth's crust

• The Earth's mantle

• The Earth's atmosphere

• The Earth's core

What geological feature is formed at divergent plate boundaries?

• Earthquakes

• Rifts

• Volcanoes

• Mountains

What does the action of pulling the cookies apart represent?

• The separation of tectonic plates

• The sliding of tectonic plates

• The stacking of tectonic plates

• The collision of tectonic plates

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

How are mountains and volcanoes related to plate boundaries in the experiment?

• They form at transform boundaries

• They form at convergent boundaries

• They are not related to plate boundaries

• They form at divergent boundaries

Which type of crust is denser, leading to its subduction beneath the other type?

• Continental crust

• Mantle material

• Oceanic crust

• None, they are equally dense

What happens at a transform plate boundary according to the Oreo experiment?

• The cookies slide past each other

• The cookies are pushed together

• The cookies are pulled apart

• The cookies remain stationary

What natural phenomenon is demonstrated by sliding the Oreo halves past each other?

• Volcanic eruptions

• Formation of islands

• Tsunamis

• Earthquakes

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3