Exam 2: Plate Tectonics: a Unifying Theory

The paleomagnetism of geologically recent rocks from different continents is generally consistent with Earth's current magnetic field, whereas ancient rocks show different orientations.

____________________ rise more than one kilometer above the seafloor, and if flat-topped, they are called ____________________.

What operating forces are primarily at work at divergent plate boundaries?

Oceanic ridges are geologically stable features made up almost entirely of sedimentary rock.

Magnetic reversals ____.

An easy way to visualize plate movement is to think of a(n)____.

How does convection transfer heat?

Divergent plate boundaries most commonly occur along ____.

To determine plate positions in various times in the past, geologists date the magnetic anomalies on the seafloor and determine the distance from the ridge axis to that magnetic anomaly.

Briefly explain how the Hawaiian Island chain formed. The definitions of hot spot and mantle plume should be included in your explanation.

Gondwana consisted of which current continents?

Many metallic mineral deposits such as copper, gold, lead, silver, tin, and zinc are related to igneous and associated ____ activity.

Mantle plumes do not move with continental plates.

The seafloor spreading hypothesis indicates what as the primary cause of continental movement?

Slab-pull and ridge-push are thought to be the primary facilitators of continental plate movement.

When two continents collide, they are welded together along a zone marking the former site of subduction. At this continental-continental plate boundary, a(n)____ is formed.

What is produced by the combination of thermal and compositional convection within Earth's liquid metallic outer core and Earth's rotation?

Magnetic surveys of the oceanic crust revealed a pattern of striped magnetic anomalies in the rocks that are both ____________________ and ____________________ around the oceanic ridges.