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2024 Plate Tectonics Test

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 1hrs 4mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Look at the image. The South American and Nazca plate are moving together. Which type of boundary is this?

a)

divergent

b)

convergent

c)

transform fault

d)

strike slip

2.

In the image, which type of boundary is shown? Hint: its located in the state of California.

a)

divergent

b)

convergent

c)

transform

d)

international

3.

Back in the early 1900's how did geologists feel about Wegener's theory?

a)

They ridiculed him and did not accept his theory.

b)

They were thrilled with him for finding the answers.

c)

They accepted only a part of his theory.

d)

They did not agree, but welcomed his work.

4.

What did Wegener name the large supercontinent where all the continents were joined together?

a)

Wegenerland

b)

Gondwanaland

c)

Laurasia

d)

Pangaea

5.

What technology was used during WWII to detect enemy submarines and produce the first map of the seafloor?

a)

Sonar

b)

Radar

c)

GPS

d)

Telegraphs

6.

What moves the plates?

a)

Convection currents from the asthenosphere

b)

Magnetism caused by the poles

c)

Earth's rotation on its axis

d)

Convection currents from the Sun

7.

Which best explains the rate of movement of tectonic plates?

a)

They move several miles each year because of convection within Earth.

b)

They move several centimeters each year because of convection within Earth.

c)

They move several feet each year because of convection within Earth.

d)

They move several kilometers each year because of convection within Earth.

8.

Is there a pattern to the locations of earthquakes and volcanoes around the globe?

a)

No, earthquakes and volcanoes are random.

b)

Yes, earthquakes and volcanoes usually occur near the boundaries of tectonic plates.

c)

yes, earthquakes and volcanoes usually occur in the middle of tectonic plates.

d)

No, earthquakes and volcanoes usually occur under water.

9.

We live in an area without many earthquakes because _____

a)

We live near a major fault line

b)

We live near the boundary of 2 tectonic plates

c)

We live near the middle of the North American Plate

d)

We live near the Pacific Plate

10.

Oceanic crust is.....

a)

Younger and less dense than continental crust

b)

Thinner, younger, and denser than continental crust

c)

Older, thicker, and less dense than continental crust

d)

Bigger and younger than continental crust

11.

Convergent boundaries are plates

a)

colliding or smashing into each other.

b)

sliding past each other.

c)

separating or pulling apart from each other.

d)

plates sliding under another and melting

12.
What kind of plate boundary is shown here?
a)
divergent
b)
convergent
c)
transform
d)
subducting
13.
This is the theory that states that all the continents started as a single massive continent and have been MOVING apart for over 200 million years and the man that proposed it.
a)
The Big Bang Theory, Einstein
b)
The Pangea Theory, Hutton
c)
The Tectonic Plate Theory, Darwin
d)
The Continental Drift Theory, Wegner
14.

What is the name of the boundary where two tectonic plates move away from each other?

a)

Convergent boundary

b)

Divergent boundary

c)

Transform boundary

d)

Subduction boundary

15.

What is the process that causes the movement of tectonic plates?

a)

Photosynthesis

b)

Convection currents in the mantle

c)

Gravitational pull of the moon

d)

Rotation of the Earth

16.
What is a large ocean wave that results from an underwater earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption?
a)
Aftershock
b)
Liquefaction
c)
Seismic Gap
d)
Tsunami
17.
The presence of the same ________ on several continents supports the idea of continental drift.
a)
rocks
b)
fossils
c)
both fossils and rocks
d)
neither fossils nor rocks
18.
What is the crust that makes up the ocean floor called?
a)
oceanic crust
b)
crust
c)
continental crust
19.
What is subduction?
a)
one plate collides with another
b)
one plate destroys another
c)
one plate goes beneath another
d)
one plate divides another
20.

What geologic feature/event you be most likely to find at a transform boundary?

a)

fault lines/Earthquakes

b)

Volcanoes

c)

Mountains

d)

Rift Valleys

21.

What kind of plate boundary is shown here? What crustal geologic feature will form if this is a collision of continental crust?

a)

divergent, mid ocean ridges

b)

convergent, trenches, volcanic mountains

c)

transform, fault lines/earthquakes

d)

convergent, folded mountains

22.

Where is lava located?

a)

above ground

b)

below ground

c)

in the core

d)

in the mantle

23.
Igneous rock that forms when magma hardens beneath Earth's surface
a)
Intrusive Rock
b)
Compaction
c)
Extrusive Rock
24.
Igneous rock that forms from lava on Earth's surface
a)
Organic Rock
b)
Intrusive Rock
c)
Extrusive Rock
25.

Fossils are often found in this rock.

a)

Sedimentary

b)

Igneous

c)

Metamorphic

26.
What are the two kinds of crust that the Earth has?
a)
Oceanic and Crustatious Crust
b)
Oceanic and Continental Crust
c)
Optic and Continental Crust
27.
Which layer of Earth would have the greatest density?
a)
upper mantle
b)
lower mantle
c)
inner core
d)
outer core
28.
4. What layer is the hottest?
a)
Core
b)
Crust
c)
Mantle
29.
Which layer of Earth is the thinnest? 
a)
Crust
b)
Mantle
c)
Inner Core
d)
Outer Core
30.
5. Which layer is the thickest?
a)
Core
b)
Crust
c)
Mantle
31.
Identify the letter in the diagram.  Identify letter F
a)
Lithosphere
b)
Asthenosphere
c)
Mantle
d)
Outer Core
32.
Identify the letter in the diagram.  Identify letter B
a)
Crust
b)
Convection Current
c)
Inner Core
d)
Outer Core 
33.
Identify the letter in the diagram.  Identify letter C
a)
Lithosphere
b)
Asthenosphere
c)
Mantle
d)
Inner Core
34.

Which is true about continental crust?

a)

It is thinner and more dense than oceanic crust.

b)

It is thinner and less dense than oceanic crust.

c)

It is thicker and more dense than oceanic crust.

d)

It is thicker and less dense than oceanic crust.

35.

The Himalayas in Asia was formed after the Indian Plate and the Tibetian Plate collided. Himalayas is an example of _______________.

a)

fold mountain

b)

volcanic mountain

c)

dome mountain

d)

erosion formed mountain

36.
What is the definition of dormant?
a)
sleeping
b)
extinct
c)
active
d)
invisible
37.
Volcanoes are found...
a)
on land
b)
under water
c)
on islands
d)
all of the above
38.

Which of these persons was given little credit for work in the 1960's analyzing sonar data, mapping the ocean floor, and helping to expose the existence of a huge mid-Atlantic ridge

a)

Marie Curie

b)

Harry Hess

c)

Alfred Wegener

d)

Marie Tharpe

39.

Use the diagram to answer the question. What results as the two oceanic plates converge?

a)

formation of a deep sea trench and island volcanoes

b)

earthquake activity and appearance of a transform fault

c)

volcanic eruption along both oceanic plate edges

d)

formation of a continental mountain range

40.
What technology was used during WWII to detect enemy submarines and produce the first map of the seafloor?
a)
Sonar
b)
Radar
c)
GPS
d)

Torpedoes

41.
In the Atlantic ocean, where is the youngest seafloor located?
a)
Towards the edges, near the eastern and western continents
b)
Towards the middle of the ocean
c)
Towards the north and south poles
d)
Young seafloor is located randomly throughout the ocean
42.
True or False: The Mid-Atlantic ridge in the Atlantic ocean is the ONLY example of a divergent boundary (<---->)
a)
True
b)
False
43.

Label the parts of this plate boundary.

44.
This is when two plates converge but one slides under the other due to density.
a)
Uplift
b)
Subduction
c)
Trench
d)
None of the above
45.

Which process best describes the formation of a delta.

a)

Weathering

b)

Erosion

c)

Deposition

46.

What agent of change causes a sand dune?

a)

Water

b)

Wind

c)

Ice

47.

What agent of change causes a U-shaped Valley?

a)

Water

b)

Wind

c)

Ice

48.

What agent of change caused the SEA arch?

a)

Water

b)

Mud

c)

Glacier

49.

What agent of change causes a canyon?

a)

Water

b)

Wind

c)

Ice

50.

A large area of flat land with high elevation is a....

a)

Plateau

b)

Continent

c)

Basin

d)

Plain