Rocks and Plate Tectonics

A business owner in Hernando County who has experienced sinkhole damage decides to relocate her business. In which county would the business owner have the lowest probability of property damage from sinkholes?

• Hillsborough

• Marion

• Alachua

• Pinellas

What has caused the mountain range to form?

• the collision of tectonic plates

• the eruption of a volcano

• the deposition of sediments

• the abrasion of a glacier

Cracks in rocks widen as water in them freezes and thaws. How does this affect the surface of the Earth?

• It exposes rocks to increased rates of erosion and weathering.

• It changes the chemical composition of the rocks.

• It reduces the rates of soil formation.

• It limits the exposure of rocks to acid precipitation.

Which will most likely form when movement along a plate boundary forces a landmass to be pulled apart?

• oceanic trench

• continental mountains

• volcanic island arc

• continental rift

Near which geologic structure are the youngest rocks on Earth found?

• active volcano

• normal fault

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a divergent fault on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. The ridge itself forms a mountain chain that runs the length of the ocean floor from north to south. Which best describes the location of the youngest rock on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean?

• close to the top of the mountains on both sides of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• close to the west side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• close to the east side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• close to the base of the mountains on both sides of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust. So when the two meet, oceanic crust subducts under continental crust. This fact best supports which claim?

• The hardest rocks on Earth are in the oceanic crust.

• The hardest rocks on Earth are in the continental crust.

• The oldest rocks on Earth are in the oceanic crust.

• The oldest rocks on Earth are in the continental crust.

What type of rocks are associated with lava flows?

• sedimentary

• hard

• igneous

• metamorphic

Which of the following best explains why Earth is tectonically active?

• Earth’s solid surface layer rotates more rapidly than the layers beneath it.

• Earth’s solid surface layer sits on a moving, semiliquid layer.

• Areas of Earth’s solid surface layer are under great pressure from ocean water.

• Areas of Earth’s solid surface layer are thicker and so heavier than other areas.

The oceanic crust is denser than the continental crust.

• false

• true