NSCI ESS 2 5

How does the above map best support the theory of plate tectonics? (8.ESS2.5)

• Points B and C are located on continents that are roughly the same size.

• Points B and C appear to have once been next to each other but to have since drifted apart.

• Point A is located on a continent that is substantially larger than the continent on which Point D is located.

• Points A, B, C, and D have not changed their positions on the globe at any time during Earth's history.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The heat process caused by the uneven distribution of thermal energy in Earth's interior is called _____________. (8.ESS2.4)

• ridge push

• seafloor spreading

• slab pull

• mantle convection

Which of the following discoveries would provide the best evidence that Earth's continents had once been part of a large landmass that has since broken apart? (8.ESS2.5)

• fossils of different species of organisms found at points A ad D

• fossils of organisms that lived during the same time period found at points A and D

• fossils of the same species of organism found at points B and C

• fossils of organisms that lived hundreds of millions of years apart found at points B and C

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

According to the theory of plate tectonics, which conclusion about the following diagram is most likely correct? (8.ESS2.4)

• Band A is older than band B, which is older than band C, which is older than band D.

• Band A is younger than band B, which is younger than band C, which is younger than band D.

• Bands A and D are older than bands B and C

• Bands B and C are older than bands A and D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

A student concludes that Earth's lithosphere is gradually shrinking as crust is destroyed at subduction zones. What is wrong with this conclusion? (8.ESS2.5)

• Earth's lithosphere is not shrinking because new crust is being created at mid-ocean ridges.

• Earth's lithosphere is actually growing because much more crust is being created at subduction zones than destroyed.

• Earth's lithosphere is not shrinking because crust is not actually destroyed at subduction zones; it simply sinks into the mantle before resurfacing elsewhere.

• The student is correct; Earth's lithosphere is shrinking.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The following diagram shows bands of oceanic crust at a mid-ocean ridge. Which of the following conclusions is justified? (8.ESS2.5)

• Bands A, B, C, and D all have the same magnetic polarity.

• Bands A, B, C, and D each has a different magnetic polarity.

• Bands A and B have the same magnetic polarity, and bands C and D have the same magnetic polarity. In addition, the same polarity of bands A and B is different from the polarity of bands C and D.

• Bands A and D have the same magnetic polarity, and bands B and C have the same magnetic polarity. In addition, the polarity of bands A and D is different from the polarity of bands B and C.

Earth's crust is being actively recycled. Where is new oceanic crust created? (8.ESS2.5)

• at convergent boundaries

• at mid-ocean ridges

• at subduction zones

• at transform boundaries

Which of the following observations best supports the theory of plate tectonics? (8.ESS2.5)

• Fossils of many different kinds of organisms have been found at the same location.

• Fossils of the same species of organism have been found on opposite sides of the same ocean.

• Fossils are more likely to form when organisms die and are buried in layers of sediment at the bottoms of large water bodies.

• Fossils are more likely to form when organisms die in the open, where they are exposed to agents of weathering and erosion.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

A student argues that the theory of plate tectonics is false because we do not feel tectonic plates moving beneath our feet. What is wrong with this argument? (8.ESS2.4)

• On average, plates move only a few centimeters per year.

• Because the plates are all moving at the same speed relative to each other, we do not feel the motion of any single plate.

• Tectonic plates are located in Earth's asthenosphere, too far beneath the planet's surface for us to feel them moving.

• The student is correc; plate tectonics is no longer considered a valid theory.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

What happens at a mid-ocean ridge when magma wells up in the rift valley and cools into new lithosphere? (8.ESS2.5)

• The oceanic plates on either side of the valley are pushed apart.

• The oceanic plates on either side of the valley come together as they melt.

• The new lithosphere binds together the oceanic plates on either side of the valley.

• The new lithosphere pushes up an oceanic plate on one side of the valley until it slides into the other plate.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3