Exploring Plate Tectonics Through Graham Cracker Models

What does the Earth's crust float on?

• Outer space vacuum

• Upper mantle of flowing magma

• Liquid water layer

• Solid iron core

How many main plates does the Earth's crust have?

• Five

• Seven

• Ten

• Twelve

What does the upper mantle's consistency allow the Earth's crust to do?

• Float and move

• Dissolve

• Expand infinitely

• Freeze solid

What is needed to model the magma layer in the experiment?

• Chocolate syrup

• Vanilla icing or Cool Whip

• Strawberry jam

• Peanut butter

Why are paper towels recommended for the experiment?

• To clean spills

• To model clouds

• To absorb magma

• To represent deserts

What is the purpose of adding food coloring to the vanilla icing in the experiment?

• To decrease its viscosity

• To prevent it from drying out

• To make it taste better

• To represent lava

What does a divergent boundary demonstrate?

• Plates sliding past each other

• Plates moving apart

• Plates melting

• Plates colliding

What geological feature can form at a convergent boundary?

• Mountains

• Deserts

• Rivers

• Canyons

What is the term for when one plate goes under another at a convergent boundary?

• Plateau formation

• Divergence zone

• Erosion area

• Subduction zone

What happens at a transform boundary?

• Plates slide past each other

• Plates evaporate

• Plates divide

• Plates merge