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WorksheetsScience Plate Movement
Total questions: 36
Worksheet time: 18mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
When tectonic plates move apart at mid-ocean ridges it is called ____.
a)
sea floor spreading
b)
subduction
c)
reverse faulting
d)
isotonic rebound
2.
Alfred Wegener knew that the same fossils of prehistoric reptiles existed in South America and Africa. This evidence supported his idea that _____.
a)
South America and Africa were once covered by ice
b)
oceans once covered South America and Africa
c)
South America and Africa were once connected
d)
A.) reptiles originated near the equator
3.
The theory of continental drift was not widely accepted by scientists because it did not explain how the continents could move. Which theory later explained this?
a)
The theory of plate tectonics
b)
The big bang theory
c)
The steady state theory
d)
The theory of evolution
4.
Earthquakes are mostly caused by _____.
a)
hurricanes, tornadoes, and typhoons
b)
currents in the Earth's inner core
c)
the movement of tectonic plates
d)
the impact of large meteorites
5.
What would you find at a divergent boundary?
a)
Marianas Trench
b)
San Andreas Fault
c)
Himalaya Mountains
d)
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
6.
What feature occurs where plates converge
a)
Rift valleys
b)
Mountain ranges
c)
Strike slip faults
d)
Mid-ocean ridges
7.
The Ring of Fire is a long string of volcanoes located around the edge of _____.
a)
the Atlantic Ocean
b)
Africa
c)
the Pacific Ocean
d)
Australia
8.
Which of the following is part of a transform plate boundary?
a)
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
b)
the Andes Mountains
c)
the Marianas Trench
d)
the San Andreas Fault
9.
The African Rift valley is continuously expanding. What does this tell us about the past from this observation?
a)
Rift valleys are a part of every continent.
b)
Two landmasses combined to form Africa.
c)
Continents may have broken in the past as well.
d)
A meteorite collided into this place
10.
Scientists learned about the interior of the Earth from
a)
studying the behavior of seismic waves as they travel through the Earth
b)
taking X-rays of the Earth's interior
c)
examining samples from oil wells.
d)
sending unmanned probes deep inside the Earth.
11.
The matching coastlines of Africa and South America help support:
a)
the theory of evolution
b)
the theory of continental drift
c)
the theory of gravity
d)
the theory of superposition
12.
Scientists are unable to predict exactly when an earthquake will occur because
a)
There is no way to determine which way a tectonic plate will move
b)
They do not have enough seismographs
c)
There is no way to determine when stress along a fault will be released.
d)
There are not enough scientists to monitor all of the faults
13.
What causes faults and folds?
a)
Volcanoes
b)
the movement of tectonic plates
c)
the shrinking of Earth
d)
the heating of Earth
14.
Which of the following does NOT provide evidence that the continents were once joined together?
a)
Fossil of the same reptiles are found on different continents.
b)
The coastlines of some continents seem to match up.
c)
Ancient maps left by early humans show only one large continent.
d)
Different continents have mountains and rocks that are the same age and type.
15.
Certain seismic waves will not pass through liquids. These waves do not pass through the Earth's _____.
a)
Mantle
b)
Inner Core
c)
Outer Core
d)
Crust
16.
What are Earth's crust and upper mantle are broken into?
a)
tectonic plates
b)
faults
c)
continents
d)
basins
17.
Along the west coast of South America, one plate is diving beneath another plate, creating volcanic mountains. This process is known as _____.
a)
Sedimentation
b)
Subduction
c)
Faulting
d)
Isostasy
18.
Why would it be more likely that you would see lava as opposed to magma?
a)
Lava is the term for magma after it has flowed out of the ground
b)
A.) Magma can only be found and seen at the bottom of the ocean.
c)
A.) Magma is much hotter than lava so you can not see it as well.
d)
A.) Magma is much darker in color than lava so it is harder to see.
19.
Earthquakes and volcanoes occur _____
a)
in the polar regions.
b)
along the equator.
c)
A.) along the edges of tectonic plates.
d)
in the centers of continents.
20.
A composite cone has:
a)
gentle slopes
b)
high crater
c)
steep sides with narrow bases
d)
steep sides with wide bases
21.
In California, the Pacific plate and the North American plate are sliding past each other. What kind of plate boundary is this?
a)
a divergent boundary
b)
a convergent boundary
c)
a subduction zone
d)
a transform boundary
22.
Which statement about the layers of Earth is true?
a)
The mantle consists of molten iron.
b)
The mesosphere is sometimes referred to as the crust.
c)
The lithosphere is the outermost layer of Earth.
d)
The inner core of Earth is made up of molten nickel.
23.
What causes the movement of tectonic plates?
a)
the gravitational pull of the moon
b)
convection currents in the mantle
c)
the rotation of Earth
d)
Earth's magnetic field
24.
Magma inside Earth may start to rise because it is _____ than the surrounding rock.
a)
cooler
b)
more dense
c)
more viscous
d)
less dense
25.
What is Pangaea?
a)
the process by which tectonic plates move around the Earth
b)
a type of thick, sticky lava
c)
the name of the ancient supercontinent
d)
the name of the scientist who first discovered plate tectonics
26.
The lithosphere is broken into pieces called _____.
a)
Strata
b)
Trenches
c)
Plates
d)
Atolls
27.
On average, about how fast are the tectonic plates moving?
a)
10 meters per year
b)
5 centimeters per year
c)
5 meters per day
d)
1000 meters per year
28.
This tool measures the magnitude of an earthquake.
a)
Seismogram
b)
meter stick
c)
triple beam balance
d)
seismograph
29.
This type of volcano is formed by quiet volcanic eruptions:
a)
composite cone
b)
shield cone
c)
hot cone
d)
cinder cone
30.
Many earthquakes occur in the Himalaya mountains, where India is pushing into Asia. What type of plate boundary is this?
a)
convergent boundary
b)
transform boundary
c)
static boundary
d)
divergent boundary
31.
What are the recorded lines from an earthquake called?
a)
A.) Richter scale
b)
A.) Mercalli scale
c)
A.) Seismogram
d)
A.) Seismograph
32.
Crustal plates float on the upper layer of the _____.
a)
Mantle
b)
inner core
c)
outer core
d)
crust
33.
If you added cold water to a container of hot water, the cold water would _____.
a)
get colder
b)
stay on top
c)
rise
d)
sink
34.
The place inside earth where an earthquake starts is called the _____.
a)
plate
b)
seismograph
c)
focus
d)
epicenter
35.
Vibrations released during an earthquake are called _____.
a)
epicenter waves
b)
focus waves
c)
seismic waves
d)
tidal waves
36.
New islands are continuously being formed in the Hawaiian Island chain because _____.
a)
the Pacific Plate is moving over a hot spot
b)
the islands are moving over a plate boundary
c)
the islands are sinking into the Earth's crust
d)
a rift valley is opening up in the Pacific Ocean
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