Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics Quiz

Who proposed the theory of continental drift?

• Charles Darwin

• Alfred Wegener

• Harry Hess

• Isaac Newton

What was the name of the supercontinent proposed by Alfred Wegener?

• Laurasia

• Pangaea

• Gondwana

• Eurasia

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

• Fossil evidence

• Matching coastlines

• Seafloor spreading

• Similar rock formations on different continents

Why was Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift originally rejected?

• He had no evidence to support his claim

• He could not explain how continents moved

• His theory contradicted the idea of seafloor spreading

• Scientists believed continents were stationary

Fossils of the reptile Mesosaurus were found in both South America and Africa. What does this suggest?

• The reptile evolved separately in both places

• Mesosaurus was a marine reptile that could swim across oceans

• The continents were once joined together

• Ocean currents carried the fossils across the ocean

What process creates new oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridges?

• Subduction

• Seafloor spreading

• Erosion

• Folding

Who discovered the process of seafloor spreading?

• Alfred Wegener

• Harry Hess

• James Hutton

• Charles Lyell

What type of plate boundary occurs at mid-ocean ridges?

• Convergent

• Transform

• Divergent

• Subduction

The age of oceanic crust increases as you move away from mid-ocean ridges. What does this indicate?

• The ocean floor is stationary

• Seafloor spreading is occurring

• The continents are shrinking

• The ocean floor is subducting

Which technology helped map the seafloor and provided evidence for seafloor spreading?

• Sonar

• GPS

• Satellites

• Seismographs