WorksheetsPlate Tectonics Test Review
Total questions: 36
Worksheet time: 19mins
The _____________________ is the crust and solid part of the upper mantle that is broken into large pieces.
asthenosphere
crust
lithosphere
mantle
Crust can be classified into two types: oceanic and continental. Which of the following describes a key difference between the two types of crust? (Choose all that are correct.)
Oceanic crust is thinner than continental crust.
Oceanic crust is more dense than continental crust.
Oceanic crust is younger than continental crust.
Oceanic crust is made of granite whereas continental crust is made of basalt.
The _________________________ is the plastic-like and less rigid part of the upper mantle that carries the plates.
asthenosphere
crust
lithosphere
mantle
Alfred Wegener’s Theory of Continental Drift provided evidence that the continents have moved in the past, but it couldn't explain how the continents moved. Current theories explain this movement with
subduction zones at continental margins.
hot spots forming under continents
magnetic reversals of the north and south poles.
convection currents in the mantle.
Why do some plates move at a faster rate than others?
Less dense oceanic plates require less force to move, so they travel at a faster speed.
Uneven heating of Earth’s interior causes magma to move faster in some regions.
Lack of heat from Earth’s interior causes divergent boundaries to slow and stop at regular intervals.
Slab pull by plates going under at subduction zones causes the rest of the plate to go under.
What type of plate boundary occurs when two plates are moving towards each other or colliding?
Convergent Boundary
Divergent Boundary
Strike-Slip Boundary
Transform Boundary
What type of plate boundary occurs when two plates are moving away from one another?
Convergent Boundary
Divergent Boundary
Subduction Zone
Transform Boundary
What type of plate boundary occurs when two plates slide past each other side-by-side?
Convergent Boundary
Divergent Boundary
Subduction Zone
Transform Boundary
Which feature will most likely form at the location marked by an X?
a desert
a volcano
a rift valley
a transform fault
What is the most likely result of the movement of these two continental plates?
The formation of mountains because the plates will fold and crumple.
The formation of a rift valley because the plates will rebound after colliding.
The formation of an island because the plates are moving past one another.
The formation of hot spots because the plates are generating heat where the plates collide.
Which of the following is the best evidence on tectonic plate activity?
The presence of lakes and rivers
The amount of thawed permafrost
The frequency of strong earthquakes
The number of icebergs from glaciers.
Which of the following pieces of evidence best supports the theory of plate tectonics?
The Grand Canyon runs in the same direction as the mid-Atlantic ridge.
There are deserts in the western parts of North and South America.
The same fossil species are found in South America and Africa.
Glacial till covers parts of the northern United States and Asia.
Looking at the diagram, which area is likely the oldest crust?
1
2
3
4
The best evidence that the continents were once connected is that they have matching
weather, fossils, and rock types.
rock types, fossils, and coastlines.
coastlines, weather, and rock types.
coastlines, weather, and fossils.
A line of volcanoes occurs along the western coast of South America near location 4. Which process explains the formation of these volcanoes?
Subducting of one plate under the other causing melting of the lower plate.
Sliding of one plate sideways past another resulting in friction and melting.
Melting of crust because of plate movement over a hot spot.
Rifting of a plate with lava filling in the resulting valley.
What process is forming high nonvolcanic mountains at location 1 on the map?
One tectonic plate is splitting apart into two plates.
Two tectonic plates are colliding and pushing together.
One tectonic plate is sliding past another tectonic plate.
Two tectonic plates are colliding and one is sliding under the other.
Which area of the diagram shows the subduction zone?
1
2
3
4
What would most likely happen if a plate of oceanic crust and a plate of continental crust collided?
The oceanic crust would sink below the continental crust.
The oceanic crust would ride above the continental crust.
The continental crust would sink below the oceanic crust.
The continental crust would become thinner than the oceanic crust.
The map of Turkey shows the location of the North Anatolian and East Anatolian Faults. Which event occurs along these faults?
Tsunamis
Earthquakes
Formation of volcanoes
Formation of islands
In a million years, what is the most likely geologic feature that will have formed where the Great Rift Valley is now located?
An inland sea
A mountain range
A new continent
A new forest
New crust is being produced at a mid-ocean ridge, but Earth is not expanding. Why not?
The total amount of crust is always increasing.
The new crust is denser than older crust.
The total amount of crust is always decreasing.
The older crust is recycled at subduction zones.
Why are the Hawaiian Islands younger on the eastern end than on the western end of the chain?
Two crustal plates are colliding.
A divergent boundary exists in the ocean floor.
An ocean plate is moving southeast across a hot spot.
An ocean plate is moving northwest across a hot spot.
Coal forms from decayed plants that grow in hot, moist climates. Why is coal now found in places like North America and Europe where the climate is cool?
Europe and North America were once located near the equator.
The plants that form coal adapted to cool climates over time.
Northern regions of Earth had a warm, desert climate many years ago.
The plants that form coal grow during the summer months when the weather is warm.
Which process most often occurs at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
destruction of underwater mountains
creation of new continents
subduction of geologic plates
spreading of sea floor
According to the theory of plate tectonics, which of the following best describes what would happen at the plate boundary in the diagram?
A broad canyon-like valley because the two colliding plates act like a plow, digging out any soil in the plates/paths.
Volcanic mountain range because one oceanic plate melts underneath the continental plate, forming composite volcanoes on the continent.
Island arc because one oceanic plate melts underneath the continental plate, forming volcanic mountains that eventually become islands.
Folded mountain range because the two colliding plates have equal composition and density, causing both to fold and form wide, thick mountains.
The African plate is moving north toward the Eurasian plate. What will most likely happen if this movement continues for many million years?
Volcanoes will form and erupt at the plate boundary.
The Mediterranean Sea will shrink and mountains will form.
The African plate will force the Eurasian plate to break into several pieces.
The size of the Mediterranean Sea will increase and mountains will form on both sides.
According to the map, where are most of the active volcanoes located?
along the equator
in the middle of the oceans
on tectonic plate boundaries
at the center of the continents
Which of the following statements best explains why earthquakes occur more frequently in California than in Massachusetts?
The rock found in California is igneous, but the rock found in Massachusetts is sedimentary.
California is located on the boundary of two crustal plates, but Massachusetts is not.
The rock under California is soft, but the rock under Massachusetts is hard.
California is located on a continental plate, but Massachusetts is not.
This area of land with a variety of surface features is viewed from above. What caused the shift of the surface features?
A fault
A road
A flowing stream
A volcanic intrusion
Which of the following describes the formation of new crust?
mountain building at a continent-continent convergent boundary
magma rising up from the mantle at a divergent boundary
two tectonic plates sliding past one another at a transform boundary
subduction of one oceanic plate under another at a convergent boundary
A rift valley is evidence of which kind of plate boundary?
convergent
divergent
transform
uniform
Which of the following provides evidence for plate tectonics?
sea-floor topography
ocean currents
Coriolis effect
atmospheric temperatures
Which landform would most likely be created when two oceanic plates converge?
a volcanic island arc
a large watershed area
a smooth continental shelf
a chain of continental mountains
What is the name of the supercontinent that existed over 200 million years ago according to the Theory of Continental Drift?
Gondwana
Pangaea
Pannotia
Eurasia
What two ideas did scientists combine to form the theory of plate tectonics? (Choose all that apply.)
Continental Drift
Evolution
Sea-floor Spreading
Gravity
What evidence is best used to support sea-floor spreading? (Choose all that apply.)
Fossil record
Magnetic strips
Formation of mid-ocean ridges
Age of oceanic crust
