Plate Tectonics Vocabulary Quiz

The Continental Drift Theory proposes that the Earth's continents:

• are stationary and have never moved.

• have moved and are still moving slowly across the Earth's surface.

• are moving rapidly across the Earth's surface.

• are drifting towards the center of the Earth.

Which of the following statements is true about the Continental Drift Theory?

• A) Continents have always been in their current positions.

• B) Continents were once a single landmass and have moved over time.

• C) Continents will never move again.

• D) Continents are moving towards each other to form a new supercontinent.

The fossil remains of Cynognathus found in South America and Africa are significant because they:

• indicate the presence of a land bridge between the continents.

• show that Cynognathus was a marine animal.

• suggest that the continents were once connected.

• prove that Cynognathus lived in both regions simultaneously.

According to the principle of superposition, where are the oldest rocks located?

• On the top

• In the middle

• On the bottom

• Scattered randomly

What are the large pieces that Earth's surface is broken into called?

• Tectonic plates

• Continental shelves

• Oceanic ridges

• Mantle layers

True or False: Earth's tectonic plates are constantly moving and changing at a very slow rate.

• True

• False

What is the process by which new oceanic crust forms along a mid-ocean ridge and older crust moves away from the ridge?

• Subduction

• Seafloor Spreading

• Continental Drift

• Plate Tectonics

The asthenosphere is:

• a rigid layer of the Earth

• a layer of the Earth that is partially molten and can flow

• the outermost layer of the Earth

• a solid layer beneath the Earth's crust

What allows the continents to move according to scientists?

• Tectonic plates

• Ocean currents

• Wind patterns

• Magnetic fields

What is the lithosphere?

• The innermost layer of Earth

• The rigid, outermost layer of Earth that includes the uppermost mantle and crust

• The layer beneath the ocean

• The core of the Earth