Question 1

Which one of the following is an important fundamental assumption underlying the plate tectonic theory?

Accepted Answer

A) Earth's magnetic field originates in the outer core. 
B) Earth's diameter has been essentially constant over time. 
C) Radioactive decay slows down at the extreme pressures of the inner core. 
D) Earth's ocean basins are very old and stable features. 
A) Earth's magnetic field originates in the outer core. 
B) Earth's diameter has been essentially constant over time. 
C) Radioactive decay slows down at the extreme pressures of the inner core. 
D) Earth's ocean basins are very old and stable features.

Question 2

The magnetic inclination of a lava flow that originally cooled near the equator is shallow.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

According to Hess's model, ocean crust is made at mid ocean ridges and carried like a conveyer belt across the ocean basins to be recycled back down deep ocean trenches.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

________, in the north Atlantic Ocean is a volcanic island formed over a hot spot on a divergent plate boundary.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ________, in the north Atlantic Ocean is...

Question 5

If you could time travel back to the 1920s and meet Alfred Wegener who was the original proponent of the continental drift hypothesis, what could you tell him about our modern idea of plate tectonics? What would you tell him regarding the structure of the earth's interior, what evidence exists for plate tectonics, what is the relationship between volcanoes and earthquakes to plate tectonics (specifics)?

Accepted Answer

Uneven heat distribution in the asthenos

Question 6

________ discovered transform faults and first proposed that Earth's outer shell comprises several rigid plates.

Accepted Answer

A) J)Tuzo Wilson 
B) Charles Darwin 
C) James Hutton 
D) Harry Hess 
A) J)Tuzo Wilson 
B) Charles Darwin 
C) James Hutton 
D) Harry Hess

Question 7

All transform faults occur along non-rifting, non-convergent, continental margins like the San Andreas or the Queen Charlotte.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Plate motion is achieved through mantle drag, ridge sliding, and slab pull.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Early results of the Deep Sea Drilling Program clearly justified the conclusion that ________.

Accepted Answer

A) the oceans have not always contained most of Earth's water 
B) the ocean basins are relatively young; most ocean basin rocks and sediments are Cretaceous or younger in age 
C) proterozoic rocks are found only as seamounts in the deepest parts of the ocean basins 
D) the youngest sediments were deposited directly on the oldest seafloor basalts 
A) the oceans have not always contained most of Earth's water 
B) the ocean basins are relatively young; most ocean basin rocks and sediments are Cretaceous or younger in age 
C) proterozoic rocks are found only as seamounts in the deepest parts of the ocean basins 
D) the youngest sediments were deposited directly on the oldest seafloor basalts

Question 10

Calculate the average rate of Pacific plate motion in centimetres per year relative to the Hawaii-Emperor hot spot between Suiko Seamount (65 million years)and Hawaii (0 million years)the Pacific plate, if they are taken to be about 6000 kilometres apart? How does this value compare to the East Pacific Rise spreading rates cited earlier?

Accepted Answer

the book says 9 cm/yr, if you

Question 11

The ________ today marks the location of the rift along which Africa separated from South America.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ________ today marks the location of...

Question 12

The ________ is (are)a logical evolutionary analog of the African Rift Valleys ten million years from now.

Accepted Answer

A) Ural Mountains 
B) San Andreas fault 
C) Peru-Chile trench 
D) Red Sea 
A) Ural Mountains 
B) San Andreas fault 
C) Peru-Chile trench 
D) Red Sea

Question 13

Which of the following is not part of the accepted driving mechanism of plate tectonic motions?

Accepted Answer

A) All of the heat for the mantle convection comes from small amounts of radioactive elements in the inner core. 
B) The Earth's unequal distribution of internal heat is what drives the mantle convection and provides the heat engine. 
C) Oceanic plates descend and constitute the downward-moving portion of Earth's internal convective flow. 
D) Solid state convective flow in the rocky mantle, warm regions rising and cold regions sinking, is the basic driving force for plate motions. 
A) All of the heat for the mantle convection comes from small amounts of radioactive elements in the inner core. 
B) The Earth's unequal distribution of internal heat is what drives the mantle convection and provides the heat engine. 
C) Oceanic plates descend and constitute the downward-moving portion of Earth's internal convective flow. 
D) Solid state convective flow in the rocky mantle, warm regions rising and cold regions sinking, is the basic driving force for plate motions.

Question 14

The Big Island of Hawaii is the oldest island of the Hawaiian chain.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Match the plate boundary with the appropriate phrase.
-________ the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Accepted Answer

A) convergent 
B) transform 
C) divergen 
A) convergent 
B) transform 
C) divergen

Question 16

What was the unexpected contribution of Keith Runcorn and his students to the continental drift controversy?

Accepted Answer

A) Apparent polar wander paths for rocks of various ages in Europe demonstrated that either the magnetic pole, or the continent's position, had wandered with time. 
B) Discordance of the Earth and Moon's magnetic pole orientations proved that the poles of one or both had drifted with the lithosphere since they were formed. 
C) Magnetic stripes on the seafloor demonstrated magnetic reversals and seafloor spreading. 
D) Reversed magnetic north directions preserved in rocks demonstrated that the location of Earth's axis had changed markedly throughout time, implying periodic cataclysms that shifted the continents during pole reversals. 
A) Apparent polar wander paths for rocks of various ages in Europe demonstrated that either the magnetic pole, or the continent's position, had wandered with time. 
B) Discordance of the Earth and Moon's magnetic pole orientations proved that the poles of one or both had drifted with the lithosphere since they were formed. 
C) Magnetic stripes on the seafloor demonstrated magnetic reversals and seafloor spreading. 
D) Reversed magnetic north directions preserved in rocks demonstrated that the location of Earth's axis had changed markedly throughout time, implying periodic cataclysms that shifted the continents during pole reversals.

Question 17

Why is so much mafic magma erupted along mid-ocean ridges?

Accepted Answer

A) Basaltic mantle under the ridge is hot enough to completely melt if seawater is added. 
B) Lowered pressures decrease the temperatures at which mafic magma can partially melt from massive, extensive, rising plumes of mantle peridotite. 
C) The subducting, oceanic slab sinks so deep that eventually it melts, producing massive quantities of mafic magma. 
D) The mantle beneath the ridges is enriched in thorium, uranium, and potassium, causing strong heating due to energy from radioactive decay. 
A) Basaltic mantle under the ridge is hot enough to completely melt if seawater is added. 
B) Lowered pressures decrease the temperatures at which mafic magma can partially melt from massive, extensive, rising plumes of mantle peridotite. 
C) The subducting, oceanic slab sinks so deep that eventually it melts, producing massive quantities of mafic magma. 
D) The mantle beneath the ridges is enriched in thorium, uranium, and potassium, causing strong heating due to energy from radioactive decay.

Question 18

Where is the inclination of Earth's magnetic field the steepest?

Accepted Answer

A) at the north and south poles 
B) at the equator 
C) latitudes between 45 and 50 degrees 
D) in the Bermuda triangle 
A) at the north and south poles 
B) at the equator 
C) latitudes between 45 and 50 degrees 
D) in the Bermuda triangle

Question 19

What is the ultimate source for the plate tectonic motions?

Accepted Answer

convection and uneve

Question 20

What span of seafloor motion is recorded by the hot spot track of the Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain?

Accepted Answer

A) 0-65 million years 
B) 0-5 million years 
C) 0-27 million years 
D) 65-180 million years 
A) 0-65 million years 
B) 0-5 million years 
C) 0-27 million years 
D) 65-180 million years

Which one of the following is an important fundamental assumption underlying the plate tectonic theory?

The magnetic inclination of a lava flow that originally cooled near the equator is shallow.

According to Hess's model, ocean crust is made at mid ocean ridges and carried like a conveyer belt across the ocean basins to be recycled back down deep ocean trenches.

________, in the north Atlantic Ocean is a volcanic island formed over a hot spot on a divergent plate boundary.

________ discovered transform faults and first proposed that Earth's outer shell comprises several rigid plates.

All transform faults occur along non-rifting, non-convergent, continental margins like the San Andreas or the Queen Charlotte.

Plate motion is achieved through mantle drag, ridge sliding, and slab pull.

Early results of the Deep Sea Drilling Program clearly justified the conclusion that ________.

The ________ today marks the location of the rift along which Africa separated from South America.

The ________ is (are)a logical evolutionary analog of the African Rift Valleys ten million years from now.

Which of the following is not part of the accepted driving mechanism of plate tectonic motions?

The Big Island of Hawaii is the oldest island of the Hawaiian chain.

Match the plate boundary with the appropriate phrase. -________ the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

What was the unexpected contribution of Keith Runcorn and his students to the continental drift controversy?

Why is so much mafic magma erupted along mid-ocean ridges?

Where is the inclination of Earth's magnetic field the steepest?

What is the ultimate source for the plate tectonic motions?

What span of seafloor motion is recorded by the hot spot track of the Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain?

An Introduction to Geology and Plate Tectonics

Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Volcanoes and Volcanic Processes

Weathering and Soil

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Geologic Time

Crustal Deformation

Earthquakes and Earth's Interior

The Ocean Floor

Mountain Building and Continental Frameworks

Mass Wasting: The Work of Gravity

Running Water

Groundwater

Glaciers and Glaciation

Deserts and Winds

Shorelines

Mineral and Energy Resources

Filters

Exam 12: Plate Tectonics: The Framework for Modern Geology

Which one of the following is an important fundamental assumption underlying the plate tectonic theory?

The magnetic inclination of a lava flow that originally cooled near the equator is shallow.

According to Hess's model, ocean crust is made at mid ocean ridges and carried like a conveyer belt across the ocean basins to be recycled back down deep ocean trenches.

________, in the north Atlantic Ocean is a volcanic island formed over a hot spot on a divergent plate boundary.

________ discovered transform faults and first proposed that Earth's outer shell comprises several rigid plates.

All transform faults occur along non-rifting, non-convergent, continental margins like the San Andreas or the Queen Charlotte.

Plate motion is achieved through mantle drag, ridge sliding, and slab pull.

Early results of the Deep Sea Drilling Program clearly justified the conclusion that ________.

The ________ today marks the location of the rift along which Africa separated from South America.

The ________ is (are)a logical evolutionary analog of the African Rift Valleys ten million years from now.

Which of the following is not part of the accepted driving mechanism of plate tectonic motions?

The Big Island of Hawaii is the oldest island of the Hawaiian chain.

Match the plate boundary with the appropriate phrase. -________ the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

What was the unexpected contribution of Keith Runcorn and his students to the continental drift controversy?

Why is so much mafic magma erupted along mid-ocean ridges?

Where is the inclination of Earth's magnetic field the steepest?

What is the ultimate source for the plate tectonic motions?

What span of seafloor motion is recorded by the hot spot track of the Hawaii-Emperor seamount chain?

An Introduction to Geology and Plate Tectonics

Minerals: The Building Blocks of Rocks

Igneous Rocks

Volcanoes and Volcanic Processes

Weathering and Soil

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Geologic Time

Crustal Deformation

Earthquakes and Earth's Interior

The Ocean Floor

Mountain Building and Continental Frameworks

Mass Wasting: The Work of Gravity

Running Water

Groundwater

Glaciers and Glaciation

Deserts and Winds

Shorelines

Mineral and Energy Resources

Filters