Continental Drift and Seafloor Spreading Quiz

Who first proposed the idea of continental drift in 1912?

• Harry Hess

• Charles Darwin

• Isaac Newton

• Alfred Wegener

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Which of the following was NOT used by Wegener as evidence for continental drift?

• Fossil records

• The presence of similar rock layers on different continents

• The discovery of mid-ocean ridges

• The way continents fit together like puzzle pieces

What was the main reason Wegener’s theory was rejected by the scientific community?

• He could not explain how or why the continents moved

• No evidence supported his claims

• He had incorrect fossil data

• Scientists believed the continents were too large to move

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What technological advancement helped scientists discover mid-ocean ridges?

• Seismographs

• Sonar mapping using sound waves

• Satellite imaging

• Deep-sea drilling

What was the significance of the mid-ocean ridges?

• They proved the existence of earthquakes

• They confirmed that the continents are moving due to volcanic eruptions

• They provided evidence that new ocean crust was forming and spreading outward

• They showed that the ocean floor was older than the continents

Who developed the theory of seafloor spreading?

• Charles Lyell

• Alfred Wegener

• Harry Hess

• James Hutton

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What did scientists discover when they analyzed rock samples from the ocean floor?

• The youngest rocks were found near the continents

• Rocks near the mid-ocean ridge were younger than those farther away

• The ocean floor had fossils that were millions of years older than those on land

• The ocean floor was composed entirely of sedimentary rock

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How do iron-containing rocks provide evidence for seafloor spreading?

• They are found only in deep trenches near subduction zones

• They show a pattern of magnetic reversals as you move away from mid-ocean ridges

• They contain fossils that indicate past climate changes

• They are composed of lighter materials than continental rocks

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What process causes new seafloor to form at mid-ocean ridges?

• Convection currents pulling the ocean floor apart

• Magma rising from beneath the Earth's crust and cooling to form new rock

• The collision of oceanic and continental plates

• Underwater earthquakes creating fissures in the crust

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Which of the following best explains why the Atlantic Ocean is expanding?

• The continents are shrinking

• New crust is being created at the mid-Atlantic ridge, pushing the continents apart

• The Pacific Ocean is contracting, forcing the Atlantic to grow

• The ocean floor is sinking into subduction zones faster than it spreads

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