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WorksheetsPlate Tectonics
Total questions: 36
Worksheet time: 18mins
Which part of the Earth acts like a slippery dance floor, allowing the tectonic plates to move?
lithosphere
asthenosphere
mesosphere
subduction zone
What is the name of the ancient supercontinent that held all the world's landmasses together?
Pangaea
Gondwana
Laurasia
Panthhalasa
How does fossil evidence support Wegener's hypothesis of Continental Drift?
Similar fossils found on far apart landmasses suggest that the continents were once a single landmass.
Fossil evidence suggest that the continents have always been in their current positions
No similarities exist between fossils on different continents
Plant and animal fossils show evidence of changes in Earth's polarity
What is the theory called that suggests the continents were once a single landmass and have drifted apart over time?
Sea-floor spreading
Pangaea
Plate Tectonics
Continental Drift
What was the name of the supercontinent where all present-day continents were once joined?
Pangaea
Panthalassa
Laurasia
Gondwana
Why did many scientists initially reject the continental drift theory?
Studies of the ocean floor revealed its younger
Wegner had no evidence to explain the existence of Pangaea
Reversals in Earth's magnetic field had not yet occurred
Wegner could not explain how Earth's continents moved
Which clue was NOT used to support continental drift?
convection currents in the asthenosphere
similar fossils on continental coasts
close fit of continental coastlines
matching glacial grooves on continents
Which Earth layer has tectonic plates?
core
mesosphere
asthenosphere
lithosphere
Is the oceanic crust ________ than the continental crust?
thinner but denser
thicker and denser
thicker but less dense
thinner and less dense
Identify the soft layer of the mantle rock on which pieces of the lithosphere float.
mesosphere
asthenosphere
inner core
outer core
What process forms new oceanic lithosphere?
sea-floor spreading
normal polarity
reverse polarity
continental drift
When tectonic plates collide and one sinks beneath the other, what is this process called?
drifting
subduction
convection
divergence
The Earth's inner core is...
hot, liquid metal
hot, liquid rock
hot, solid metal
hot, solid rock
What is the order of Earth's layers from the densest to the least dense?
lithosphere, asthenosphere, outer core, inner core
lithosphere, asthenosphere, inner core, outer core
outer core, inner core, lithosphere, asthenosphere
inner core, outer core, asthenosphere, lithosphere
Which statement best describes the geology of continents?
Continental crust is more dense than the mantle beneath it
Continental crust is more dense than the rocks of the ocean floor
Continental crust is less dense than the ocean floor
Ocean floor is thicker than the continents and sinks lower
Where are most of the Earth's iron and nickel located?
Crust and Mantle
Mantle and Outer Core
Crust and Inner Core
Outer Core and Inner Core
What keeps the Earth's inner core solid despite high temperatures?
high pressure
low pressure
high density
low density
What is the primary tool for scientists to study the Earth's interior?
Studying magnetic reversals in oceanic crust
Studying seismic waves generated by earthquakes
Studying the patterns of fossils on different continents
Using GPS
What do you notice about the movement of the soup?
Hot soup rises to the top (less dense), cools down, and sinks back down (more dense)
Cool soup rises to the top (more dense), heats up, and sinks
Dense soup sinks to the bottom and stays there
Dense soup rises to the top and then sinks again
Which of the following best describes a tectonic plate?
a large slab of asthenosphere that moves over the Earth's surface
a slab of crust and upper mantle that moves over the Earth's surface
a part of the asthenosphere in which convection takes place
a large slab of crust where convection takes place
What are the large blocks that the Earth's crust is split into called?
forks
grids
plates
cores
What is the process called where new oceanic lithosphere forms as magma rises to the Earth's surface and solidifies at the mid-ocean ridge?
Plate Tectonics
Magnetic Reversal
Sea-Floor Spreading
Continental Drift
Arrange Earth's layers from coolest to hottest.
Inner core, outer core, mantle, crust
Mantle, crust, outer core, Inner Core
Crust, mantle, outer core, inner core
Crust, mantle, inner core, outer core
What is the name of the thin, rigid layer that forms the outermost part of the Earth?
inner core
outer core
crust
mantle
What happens to temperature, pressure, and density as you go deeper into the Earth's layers?
Increase
Decrease
Which of the following is responsible for the creation of new crust at the edge of a tectonic plate?
mountain building at a continental-continental convergent boundary
magma rising up from the mantle at the mid-ocean ridge
two tectonic plates sliding past each other in opposite directions
subduction of one oceanic plate under another at a convergent boundary
What happens when a continental plate collides with an oceanic plate?
The continental plate will subduct under the oceanic plate, creating an oceanic trench.
The oceanic plate will subduct under the continental plate, forming an oceanic trench.
The continental plate will subduct under the oceanic plate, causing an earthquake.
The oceanic plate will subduct under the continental plate, leading to a rift valley.
Two tectonic plates are pushing against each other. What type of plate movement is this?
convergent
divergent
transform
Identify the type of plate boundary shown in the image.
convergent
divergent
transform
Identify the type of plate movement shown in the image.
convergent
divergent
transform
What type of tectonic plate boundary is a mid-ocean ridge?
convergent boundaries
divergent boundaries
transform boundaries
Folded mountain ranges are usually associated with which type of tectonic plate boundaries?
continental-continental convergent boundaries
continental-oceanic convergent boundaries
transform boundaries
Faults are associated with
convergent boundaries
divergent boundaries
transform boundaries
At which type of plate boundary does Sea-Floor spreading occur?
convergent boundary
divergent boundary
transform boundary
strike-slip boundary
What does this diagram represent?
deep ocean trench
subduction
folded mountains
volcanic mountain
Which type of plate interaction is shown in the illustration?
continental plate is subducting under oceanic plate
continental plate subducting under another continental plate
oceanic plate is subducting under a continental plate
oceanic plate is subducting under another oceanic plate
