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WorksheetsU2L3 Earth's Tectonic Plates
Total questions: 30
Worksheet time: 15mins
A statement that’s accuracy can be tested by experiments and through observations is formally called a _______________.
proposition
conclusion
hypothesis
deduction
The process of _________ occurs when large land masses move, like when Pangea broke apart.
plate shift
continental drift
land transference
landmass movement
How did the Appalachian Mountains in North America and the Atlas Mountains in North Africa provide evidence for Pangea?
Neither range contained fossils prevalent near the equator.
Both ranges are comprised of a diverse assortment of rock types.
Neither range had rock layers similar to the mountain ranges found nearby on their own continents.
Both ranges had similar types, ages, and sequences of rock layers, suggesting that they were formed together and then separated.
Which of the following statements about Wegener’s hypothesis is NOT true?
Wegener was the first to come up with the idea.
Wegner’s hypothesis was supported by the fossil record.
Wegner was unable to determine what force pulled the continents apart.
Wegener thought all the continents used to be a single landmass he named “Pangea”.
Which of the following statements is NOT true of seismic waves?
Seismic waves are vibrations that result from earthquakes.
Studying seismic waves helps scientists study the Earth’s interior.
Seismic waves travel at the same speed regardless of rock density.
As they pass through rocks of different densities seismic waves change direction slightly.
The crust beneath oceans, _________ crust, is thinner than the crust beneath continents, _________ crust.
water; land
aquatic; rocky
oceanic; continental
marine; terrestrial
What is the lithosphere?
another name for Earth's crust
the part of the mantle near the core where it is hottest
the outer, rigid part of the mantle and the crust combined
the part of the core that is closest to the mantle where it is coolest
What is the pattern of earthquakes and volcanoes across the Earth?
They are both spread evenly across the Earth.
Earthquakes occur wherever volcanoes do not.
Volcanoes are found only on islands, and earthquakes are found only in the middle of continents.
They are both mostly found in narrow zones around the edges of continents and ocean basins and along island chains.
The Pacific __________ is a region of heavy volcano and earthquake activity.
Ring of Fire
Ocean
Plate
Basin
A chain of volcanic mountains found on the seafloor is called a __________.
mid-ocean ridge
continental shelf
oceanic trench
seamount
Rocks near mid-ocean ridges are __________ rocks further away. This phenomenon is due to a process called __________.
younger than; seafloor spreading
older than; continental drift
the same age as; plate tectonics
younger than; erosion
Which of the following statements about oceanic crust recycling is true?
Scientists no longer believe crust gets recycled.
Crust is recycled at mid-ocean ridges where two plates crash into each other.
The old crust in ocean trenches sinks into the mantle where it is destroyed.
Crust gets hotter as it gets older, floating over newer crust that is then destroyed.
What method have scientists NOT used to explore the ocean floor?
sonar to map the ocean floor
lead-weighted lines to map the ocean floor
converted an oil drilling ship to drill rock samples
trained dolphins to fetch rocks from the ocean floor for analysis
Which of the following is a constraint on the design of a car?
It has to turn right and left.
Customers no longer want tape decks.
Technology doesn’t exist to make it fly.
It must be able to move forward and backward.
Which of the following is an example of a scientific theory?
gravity
aliens built the pyramids
black holes lead to an alternate universe
plants prefer classical music to rock music
The theory of plate tectonics says that rigid pieces of the lithosphere, called _________, move across the Earth’s surface very slowly.
landmasses
tectonic plates
Wegener regions
lithosphere pieces
A trench forms at what kind of plate boundary?
convergent
divergent
spreading
transform
Volcanoes form at _________ boundaries, when one plate _________ another and melts, forming magma pockets just below the surface.
convergent; sinks beneath
convergent; slides over
spreading; pulls away from
divergent; slides over
transform; rubs against
If the Raptor Plate and the Rex Plate are moving away from each other at a rate of 10 mm/year, how far apart will they be in 10 million years? (Remember that 1 km = 1 million mm)
0.1 km
10 km
100 km
10,000 km
Earthquakes _______ stress at _______ boundaries caused by the friction created when two plates try to move parallel to each other in opposite directions.
relieve; transform
increase; convergent
reduce; divergent
maintain; subduction
Tectonic plate motion is mainly caused by ___________.
convection cells in the mantle.
ocean currents.
solar radiation.
wind patterns.
A well-established group of ideas or models that is supported by a large amount of evidence and that can be used to explain many different phenomena
scientific theory
subduction
criteria
seafloor spreading
The hypothesis that the continents slowly drifted to their current positions after having been part of a single, giant landmass that broke apart
continental drift
criteria
seafloor spreading
constraints
The process by which the rocks on either side of the mid-ocean ridge slowly pull away from each other, allowing molten rock to rise, solidify, and form new seafloor
seafloor spreading
criteria
plate tectonics
hypothesis
A break in Earth's crust where the rocks on either side have moved
fault
constraints
subduction
seafloor spreading
The requirements that must be met for an engineering solution to be successful
hypothesis
scientific theory
criteria
continental drift
The process by which a collision between two tectonic plates forces the denser plate under the less dense plate
constraints
plate tectonics
subduction
fault
A prediction or statement based on limited evidence that can be tested by observation and experimentation
seafloor spreading
criteria
scientific theory
hypothesis
The scientific theory that the lithosphere is made up of rigid pieces, called tectonic plates, that move across Earth’s surface:
criteria
hypothesis
plate tectonics
subduction
The limitations on an engineering solution
fault
constraints
scientific theory
hypothesis
