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Rock Cycle and Plate Tectonics Review

Total questions: 32

Worksheet time: 17mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

A business owner in Hernando County who has experienced sinkhole damage decides to relocate her business. In which county would the business owner have the lowest probability of property damage from sinkholes?

a)

Hillsborough

b)

Marion

c)

Alachua

d)

Pinellas

2.

What has caused the mountain range to form?

a)

the collision of tectonic plates

b)

the eruption of a volcano

c)

the deposition of sediments

d)

the abrasion of a glacier

3.

Cracks in rocks widen as water in them freezes and thaws. How does this affect the surface of the Earth?

a)

It exposes rocks to increased rates of erosion and weathering.

b)

It changes the chemical composition of the rocks.

c)

It reduces the rates of soil formation.

d)

It limits the exposure of rocks to acid precipitation.

4.

Which will most likely form when movement along a plate boundary forces a landmass to be pulled apart?

a)

oceanic trench

b)

continental mountains

c)

volcanic island arc

d)

continental rift

5.

Near which geologic structure are the youngest rocks on Earth found?

a)

active volcano

b)

normal fault

6.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a divergent fault on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. The ridge itself forms a mountain chain that runs the length of the ocean floor from north to south. Which best describes the location of the youngest rock on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean?

a)

close to the top of the mountains on both sides of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

b)

close to the west side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

c)

close to the east side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

d)

close to the base of the mountains on both sides of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

7.

Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust. So when the two meet, oceanic crust subducts under continental crust. This fact best supports which claim?

a)

The hardest rocks on Earth are in the oceanic crust.

b)

The hardest rocks on Earth are in the continental crust.

c)

The oldest rocks on Earth are in the oceanic crust.

d)

The oldest rocks on Earth are in the continental crust.

8.

What type of rocks are associated with lava flows?

a)

sedimentary

b)

hard

c)

igneous

d)

metamorphic

9.

Which of the following best explains why Earth is tectonically active?

a)

Earth’s solid surface layer rotates more rapidly than the layers beneath it.

b)

Earth’s solid surface layer sits on a moving, semiliquid layer.

c)

Areas of Earth’s solid surface layer are under great pressure from ocean water.

d)

Areas of Earth’s solid surface layer are thicker and so heavier than other areas.

10.

The oceanic crust is denser than the continental crust.

a)

false

b)

true

11.

Which of the following changes would end Earth’s tectonic activity?

a)

Earth’s crust becomes a cooler solid.

b)

Earth’s mantle becomes a warmer semiliquid.

c)

Earth’s mantle becomes cooler and solid.

d)

Earth’s outer core becomes warmer.

12.

Which analogy best illustrates why Earth’s plates move?

a)

A tree root grows into a ledge and breaks off a piece of rock.

b)

Burning diesel fuel forces a piston downward, turning the crankshaft.

c)

The ice on a frozen pond cracks when the water beneath it moves.

d)

A glass shatters as it falls from a table onto a tile floor.

13.

Which transition is most responsible for gaps in the fossil record?

a)

metamorphic rock to igneous rock

b)

igneous rock to metamorphic rock

c)

metamorphic rock to sedimentary rock

d)

sedimentary rock to metamorphic rock

14.

Which of these is evidence for the theory of plate tectonics?

a)

the shifting of biomes as climates change

b)

the presence of volcanoes around the Pacific rim

c)

the melting of the polar ice caps

d)

the prevalence of granite on all the continents

15.

Magma wells up and forms a ridge down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, creating new seafloor that slowly spreads out east and west of the ridge. This is evidence for which of the following theories?

a)

Earthquakes result from periodic disturbances along fault lines.

b)

Convection currents in the mantle are the cause of volcanic activity.

c)

Earth’s crust is made up of rocky plates that move over time.

d)

Magma cooling at the surface of Earth forms a type of igneous rock.

16.

Half of a volcanic rock formation can be seen at Pinnacles National Park in California, on one side of the San Andreas Fault. The other half is 195 miles southeast of the park on the other side of the same fault line. This is evidence for which of the following theories?

a)

that earthquakes are the result of volcanic activity

b)

that Earth’s crust is made of rocky plates that shift over time

c)

that Earth’s current landforms were created when Earth’s surface cooled

d)

that rock formations may move hundreds of miles in an earthquake

17.

About 75% of the world’s active volcanoes are the result of tectonic activity around which plate?

a)

Pacific Plate

b)

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

c)

North American Plate

18.

Which of these provides the best evidence that Earth’s crust is divided into tectonic plates?

a)

the distribution of water on Earth’s surface

b)

the distribution of biomes on Earth’s surface

c)

the distribution of rock types on Earth’s surface

d)

the distribution of earthquakes on Earth’s surface

19.

Which of these is the best evidence that Earth’s continental landmasses drifted apart over time?

a)

the fossil record along the edges of continents

b)

the rocky coastlines at the edges of continents

c)

the distribution of biomes on all the continents

d)

the prevalence of granite on all the continents

20.

Which of these explains how a trench can form?

a)

two oceanic plates converging

b)

two continental plates converging

c)

two continental plates diverging

d)

two oceanic plates diverging

21.

Which feature does not form as a result of tectonic plates diverging?

a)

rift valley

b)

trench

c)

ocean basin

d)

mid-ocean ridge

22.

Which features form when magma emerges between two diverging oceanic plates?

a)

ocean trenches

b)

fault boundaries

c)

mid-ocean ridges

d)

composite volcanoes

23.

______ is a result of plates of different densities converging and one plate slips under the other?

a)

a rift zone

b)

a trench

c)

a ridge

d)

a fault

24.

Mountain ranges form by

a)

rocks

b)

two continental plates diverging

c)

two continental plates colliding

25.

Which statement describes an aspect of tectonic plate motion directly caused by density differences among tectonic plates?

a)

The orientation of magnetic particles in ocean plates changes at regular intervals.

b)

Continental plates are thicker and contain older material than ocean plates.

c)

When ocean and continental plates collide, the ocean plate is subducted.

d)

Ocean plates move outward from the mid-ocean ridge.

26.

Which characteristic of the asthenosphere helps explain the evidence of crustal-plate motion?

a)

the semiliquid physical state

b)

the liquid physical state

27.

A land developer is considering building in the Santa Paula area. Based on the information in the graph, the land developer would want to avoid areas with which of these slopes?

a)

0–5°

b)

12–18°

c)

22–28°

d)

32–38°

28.

Which of these provides the best evidence that Earth’s crust is divided into tectonic plates?

a)

the distribution of earthquakes on Earth’s surface

b)

the distribution of biomes on Earth’s surface

c)

the distribution of rock types on Earth’s surface

29.

Which of the labeled points on the map has the steepest slope?

a)

1

b)

2

c)

3

d)

4

30.

What destructive force has done the most work on this landscape?

a)

wind erosion

b)

glaciation

c)

subduction

d)

water erosion

31.

Which terms should be placed in the boxes labeled 1, 2, and 3?

a)
  1. Metamorphic Rocks 2. Igneous Rocks 3. Sedimentary Rocks
b)
  1. Metamorphic Rocks 2. Sedimentary Rocks 3. Igneous Rocks
c)
  1. Sedimentary Rocks 2. Igneous Rocks 3. Metamorphic Rocks
d)
  1. Igneous Rocks 2. Sedimentary Rocks 3. Metamorphic Rocks
32.

What is the main source of heat in the magma that builds these mountain chains?

a)

heat rising from the core of Earth

b)

heat produced during earthquakes

c)

heat within the crust and mantle of Earth

d)

heat from friction between tectonic plates