WorksheetsSea floor spreading continental drift
Total questions: 48
Worksheet time: 1hrs 8mins
Process by which new ocean crust forms.
Seafloor spreading
Continental drift
Mid-ocean ridge
Rift
What are two pieces of evidence used to support the theory of continental drift?
Fossils and Pangaea
South America and Rocks
Rocks and Fossils
Fossils and Africa
This feature can be found along a divergent boundary
mid-ocean ridge
folded mountains
deep sea trench
What evidence from landforms supports the idea that the continents were once joined and then drifted apart? Choose all that apply
Continents fit together like a puzzle
Mountain ranges from different continents line up when the continents are put together.
There is little to no evidence of continental drift
Seafloor spreading
What evidence from fossils supports the idea that the continents were once joined and then drifted apart?
Fossils from plants and animals are found on two different continents
Animals swam across the ocean to other continents
Plants only grew on Pangea
Fossils were only found on Pangea
What geologic feature was evidence to support the theory that the continents used to be joined?
Same rocks were found on different continents
Glacial grooves were found on different continents
Fossilized evidence of the same organism found on different continents
Africa and South America look like puzzle pieces that fit together
What evidence of an ancient organism was used to support the theory that the continents used to be joined?
Same rocks were found on different continents
Glacial grooves were found on different continents
Fossilized evidence of the same organism found on different continents
Africa and South America look like puzzle pieces that fit together
Any trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in rock is called a
landform
continent
fossil
landmass
According to Wegener's theory of continental drift,
Earth's surface is made up of seven major landmasses
the continents do not drift
Earth is slowly cooling and shrinking
the continents were once joined together in a single landmass and have slowly moved.
What are breaks in Earth's crust where rocks have slipped past each other?
sea floor spreading
subduction
plates
faults
What is the process that continually adds new crust to the ocean floor along both sides of the mid-ocean ridge?
subduction
continental drift
convergent
sea floor spreading
What are the places of Earth's crust that carry the continents and oceans?
sea floor spreading
continental drift
plates
faults
South America and Africa look to fit together like a puzzle
does not support the theory of Pangaea
does support the theory of Pangaea
When a fossil of an animal is found on almost all continents, then it supports
the idea of a traveling animal
the idea of a connected original continent
the idea of a flying animal
What is the process happening at R?
Deep ocean trench
mid ocean ridge
subduction
sea floor spreading
At the Mid-Ocean Ridge and active volcanoes you can find:
fault lines
earthquakes
older crust
newest crust
Ferromagnetic molecules make up little shavings of iron that are in rock and align themselves to magnetic north when the rock is molten and liquid. Where do we find this?
Past the subduction zones where land and ocean plates collide
On either side of mid-ocean ridges
On the land under the Antarctic cap
In the layers of rock surrounding the Grand Canyon
In the convection cells of the mantle
The diagram shows the magnetic polarity (they look like zebra stripes) of the seafloor at the Mid-Ocean Ridge. Which of the following statements is true about the magnetic polarity pattern of the ridge?
Stripes of normal polarity and reversed polarity DO NOT alternate across the ocean bottom.
Stripes form mirror images (are symmetrical) on either side of the mid-ocean ridges
Stripes form different images on either side of the mid-ocean ridges
there is not a pattern that is created
Originally, the Hypothesis of Continental Drift was not well received by other scientists. Why?
There was a competing theory at the time which was more believable.
There was no data showing the continents ever moved.
The scientists didn't know the force responsible for the moving continents.
The scientist presenting the data was unreliable.
Which of the following statements provided early evidence supporting the hypothesis of continental drift?
interlocking shapes of present-day coastlines
mid-ocean ridges generating new sea floor
matching magnetic patterns on the sea floor
dating of rocks showing increase in age as distance form mid-ocean ridge increases
What is one piece of evidence of seafloor spreading?
age of the rocks
old rock pushes new rock to the side
scientist can use sonar
subduction
___________ is the process by which
new oceanic lithosphere (sea floor) forms as magma rises to Earth’s surface and solidifies at a mid-ocean ridge.
Continental drift
Sea-floor spreading
Plate tectonics
Mid-ocean range
In the 1960s, scientists studying the ocean floor discovered _____________.
that the ocean floor had magnetic patterns
the Titanic
that the ocean floor had magical properties
that the ocean floor was as smooth as a desert
The youngest rocks on the ocean floor are located ____.
near continents
at mid-ocean ridges
far from mid-ocean ridges
near Asia
The crust and upper mantle make up Earth's ____.
asthenosphere
lithosphere
core
continents
Scientists have observed that the continents move apart or come together at speeds of a few centimeters per ____.
century
year
day
decade
Seafloor spreading occurs because ____.
new material is being added to the asthenosphere
earthquakes break apart the ocean floor
sediments accumulate at the area of spreading
molten material beneath Earth's crust rises to the surface
What technology did scientists use in the mid-1900s to map the mid-ocean ridge?
satellites
submarines
deep-sea diving
sonar
In sea-floor spreading, molten material rises from the mantle and erupts
in deep-ocean trenches
along the edges of all the continents
along mid-ocean ridges
at the north and south plate
What 3 kinds of evidence were used to prove that the seafloor spread?
Rock formations, age of rocks, WWII shipwrecks
Age of rocks, magnetic seafloor stripes, WWII ship logs
Rock formations, magnetic seafloor stripes, age of rocks
Earth is thought to be formed ______ years ago?
200 thousand
3 million
4.6 billion
13.8 billion
Which type of rock are most fossils found?
sedimentary rock
metamorphic rock
igneous rock
fossils
Which of the following orders the rock layers accurately from oldest to youngest?
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
5, 4, 3, 2, 1
2, 3, 4, 5, 1
1, 2, 3, 5, 4
A break in Earth’s crust along which rocks move is called ___________
stress
compression
dormat
fault
A weak spot in the crust where magma has come to the surface is called _____________________
hot spot
lava
volcano
fault
_______ is liquid rock UNDERground, while ______ is liquid rock ABOVE ground
lava, magma
magma, lava
intrusive, extrusive
extrusive, intrusive
