Plate Tectonics Quiz (2025)

First and last name

Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift around 1912. Which of these components is NOT evidence that supports his theory?

• Similar plants and animals lived on continents separated by oceans.
• All existing continents were once joined into a super continent called Pangaea.
• The boundaries of many neighboring continents fit together like a puzzle
• The Moon’s gravity and Earth’s spin can move the continents.

Which event MOST likely takes place as the result of tectonic plate (crustal) movement along transform boundaries?

• earthquakes
• volcanic activity
• mountain building
• trenches

Which of the following is a result of two continental plates pressing together at a convergent plate boundary for millions of years?

• large fields of gravel
• a tall mountain chain
• large freshwater lakes linked by rivers
• an uneven thickness of sedimentary layers

What force causes the tectonic plates of Earth to continually move?

• conduction from solar heating
• convection currents in the mantle
• global winds
• ocean currents

Which best explains the movement of tectonic plates?

• They move several miles each year because of convection within Earth.
• They move several centimeters each year because of convection within Earth.
• They move several feet each year because of convection within Earth.
• They move several kilometers each year because of convection within Earth.

At the mid-ocean ridge, new oceanic crust is continually being produced. How does Earth’s size change as the new crust is produced?

• Earth’s size is growing larger because new crust is being added next to old crust.
• Earth’s size is growing smaller because the new crust pushes the continents closer together.
• Earth’s size is unchanged because as new crust is produced, earthquakes occur breaking up the old crust.
• Earth’s size is unchanged because as new crust is produced, old crust is forced down to the mantle where it melts.

Which of the following is a direct result of sea floor spreading?

• old portions of Earth's crust being destroyed.
• new portions of Earth's crust being created.
• new coral reefs being formed.
• Earth's diameter is expanding

Which statement BEST describes why fossils of the same land-dwelling animals have been discovered in both South America and Africa?

• These organisms migrated to these two continents.
• These organisms were separated by the formation of new mountain ranges
• These organisms became extinct due to climate changes on these continents.
• These organisms once lived on one large landmass that later split into two continents.

The diagram below shows a cross section of a tectonic plate boundary. Which terms BEST describe features 1, 2, and 3?

• 1 – continental crust, 2 – mantle, 3 – oceanic crust
• 1 – mantle, 2 – oceanic crust, 3 – continental crust
• 1 – oceanic crust, 2 – mantle, 3 – continental crust
• 1 – continental crust, 2 – oceanic crust, 3 – mantle