Plate Tectonics & Convection

When did the idea of Earth's continents drifting and periodically joining/breaking apart become widely accepted by most geologists?

• Over 200 years ago

• In the 1960s

• In the early 20th century

• After the invention of Google Earth

What is the common simplified explanation for the movement of tectonic plates?

• They are pushed by hot mantle plumes from the core.

• They are carried along by currents in the upper mantle.

• They slide due to gravitational forces on Earth's surface.

• They move randomly due to seismic activity.

Why is the analogy of tectonic plates passively riding on mantle currents like luggage on a conveyor belt considered incomplete?

• Tectonic plates are much larger than luggage.

• Some plates move faster than the mantle currents beneath them.

• Mantle currents are not always consistent in their direction.

• Luggage does not interact with the conveyor belt's mechanism.

What is the process called when a thinner ocean plate bends and slides under another plate, pulling the rest of the plate with it?

• Continental collision

• Ridge push

• Subduction

• Transform faulting

What does the video liken the continents to on the conveyor belt?

• Baggage

• Blocks of ice
• Sections of a map
• Parts of a machine