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Plate Tectonics Final

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is the correct order (starting from the surface) of Earth's layers?

a)

crust, outer core, inner core, mantle

b)

mantle, outer core, inner core, crust

c)

crust, mantle, outer core, inner core

d)

crust, outer core, mantle, inner core

2.

Earth's inner core is...

a)

a dense ball of solid metal

b)

a layer of molten metal

c)

a layer of hot rock

d)

a layer of rock that forms the Earth's outer skin

3.

Geologists obtain INDIRECT evidence about Earth's interior by...

a)

measuring pressure differences at Earth's surface

b)

estimating temperature inside the Earth

c)

directly looking under the many layers

d)

recording and studying seismic waves

4.

Heat transfer within a fluid takes place by...

a)

radiation

b)

conduction

c)

convection currents

d)

density

5.

Earth's magnetic field results from movements in the ...

a)

mantle

b)

crust

c)

inner core

d)

outer core

6.

According to Wegener's hypothesis of continental drift...

a)

Earth's surface is made up of seven major land masses called continents

b)

the continents do not move

c)

Earth is slowly cooling and shrinking

d)

the continents were once joined in a single land mass

7.

What is Pangaea?

a)

the name of a German scientist

b)

the name of the supercontinent that existed millions of years ago

c)

another name for continental drift

d)

the name of an ancient fossil found both in South America and Africa

8.

Which type of evidence was NOT used by Wegener to support his theory of continental drift?

a)

evidence from landforms such as rocks and mountain ranges

b)

evidence from fossils and plants

c)

evidence from human remains

d)

evidence of climate change

9.

Most geologists rejected Wegener's idea of continental drift because...

a)

they were afraid of new ideas

b)

Wegener was interested in what Earth was like millions of years ago, but not today

c)

Wegener used several different types of evidence to support his hypothesis

d)

Wegener could not identify a force that could move the continents

10.

In sea-floor spreading, molten material rises from the mantle and erupts...

a)

along the edges of all the continents

b)

along mid-ocean ridges

c)

in deep-ocean trenches

d)

at the north and south poles

11.

How did scientists discover that rocks farther away from the mid-ocean ridge were older than those near it?

a)

by observing eruptions of molten material on the sea floor

b)

by mapping rocks on the sea floor using sonar

c)

by determining the age of rock samples obtained by drilling on the sea floor

d)

by measuring how fast sea-floor spreading occurs

12.

What did scientists notice when they observed the mid-ocean ridge?

a)

a convergent boundary

b)

pillow-shaped rocks formed by the rapid hardening of molten material

c)

the movement of Earth's plates

d)

convection currents

13.

The process by which the ocean floor sinks beneath a deep-ocean trench and back into the mantle is known as...

a)

convection

b)

continental drift

c)

subduction

d)

conduction

14.

Movement of the Earth's plates is caused by....

a)

conduction

b)

earthquakes

c)

Earth's magnetic field

d)

convection currents in the mantle

15.

A collision between two pieces of continental crust at a converging boundary produces a...

a)

deep-ocean trench

b)

mid-ocean ridge

c)

rift valley

d)

mountain range

16.

A place where two plates slip past each other, moving in opposite directions, is known as a...

a)

transform boundary

b)

divergent boundary

c)

convergent boundary

d)

rift valley

17.

A rift valley forms at a...

a)

convergent plate boundary

b)

divergent plate boundary

c)

transform boundary

d)

deep-ocean trench

18.

The place where two plates come together is known as a...

a)

transform boundary

b)

divergent boundary

c)

convergent boundary

d)

rift valley

19.

At which point will the oldest rock be found? Explain.

a)

Older rock will be found at Y since it is closer to the ridge.

b)

Older rock will be found at X since it is deeper there than at the ridge.

c)

Older rock will be found at Y since it is hotter there than farther away.

d)

Older rock will be found at X since sea-floor is pushed away from the ridge when new crust is formed.

20.

The process of _______ continually adds new crust to the ocean floor along both sides of the mid-ocean ridge.

a)

convection currents

b)

sea-floor spreading

c)

rift valley

d)

subduction