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 surface area 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 surface area 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. B

Question 2

Evidence that tensile stresses are actively pulling the lithosphere apart in an ocean ridge system is given by ________.

Accepted Answer

A) the width of the ridge system 
B) the height of the ridge system 
C) the existence of a rift valley in a ridge system 
D) the lack of thick sediments on the ridge system sea floor 
A) the width of the ridge system 
B) the height of the ridge system 
C) the existence of a rift valley in a ridge system 
D) the lack of thick sediments on the ridge system sea floor C

Question 3

Why did scientists not accept the Continental Drift hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A) It did not explain how ocean basins form. 
B) It was based on observations from the southern hemisphere which was unfamiliar to most geologists. 
C) It was proposed by a woman. 
D) It did not explain most modern observations. 
A) It did not explain how ocean basins form. 
B) It was based on observations from the southern hemisphere which was unfamiliar to most geologists. 
C) It was proposed by a woman. 
D) It did not explain most modern observations. B

Question 4

The asthenosphere is the second layer of the Earth characterized by ________.

Accepted Answer

A) soft rocks that flow easily 
B) hard rocks that break 
C) layers of both hard and soft rocks 
D) magma 
A) soft rocks that flow easily 
B) hard rocks that break 
C) layers of both hard and soft rocks 
D) magma

Question 5

Oceanic ridges represent ________ percent of the earth's surface.

Accepted Answer

A) 5 
B) 10 
C) 20 
D) 30 
A) 5 
B) 10 
C) 20 
D) 30

Question 6

Which parts of Pangaea broke apart first?

Accepted Answer

A) Africa and Australia 
B) Europe and the United States 
C) Europe and Africa 
D) The United States and Africa 
A) Africa and Australia 
B) Europe and the United States 
C) Europe and Africa 
D) The United States and Africa

Question 7

Identify the letter corresponding to the Transform plate boundary in the figure below:

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify the letter corresponding to the Transform...

Question 8

The Hawaiian Island-Emperor Seamount chain formed as a result of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) convergent plate boundary activities 
B) divergent plate boundary activities 
C) transform plate boundary activities 
D) hot spot activities 
A) convergent plate boundary activities 
B) divergent plate boundary activities 
C) transform plate boundary activities 
D) hot spot activities

Question 9

The largest lithospheric plate is the ________.

Accepted Answer

A) Caribbean Plate 
B) North American Plate 
C) Pacific Plate 
D) Eurasian Plate 
A) Caribbean Plate 
B) North American Plate 
C) Pacific Plate 
D) Eurasian Plate

Question 10

When two plates move together,lithosphere is ________.

Accepted Answer

A) not changed 
B) destroyed 
C) created 
D) melted 
A) not changed 
B) destroyed 
C) created 
D) melted

Question 11

What is GPS (Global Positioning System)used for in the study of plate tectonics?

Accepted Answer

A) It measures paleomagnetism. 
B) It measures velocity of a plate. 
C) It measures age of a plate. 
D) It measures elevation of a plate. 
A) It measures paleomagnetism. 
B) It measures velocity of a plate. 
C) It measures age of a plate. 
D) It measures elevation of a plate.

Question 12

The San Andreas fault in California is a good example of a(n)________ plate boundary.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The San Andreas fault in California is...

Question 13

As the South Atlantic basin widens by seafloor spreading,Africa and South America are moving closer together.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

A very long-lived magma source located deep in the mantle is called a ________.

Accepted Answer

A) magma welt 
B) basalt spout 
C) melt well 
D) hot spot 
A) magma welt 
B) basalt spout 
C) melt well 
D) hot spot

Question 15

Briefly explain how density affects subduction.

Accepted Answer

When two plates converge,the densest pla

Question 16

Briefly describe some possible future changes in the shape and size of the African Plate.

Accepted Answer

The African Plate is mostly bounded by d

Question 17

The most obvious evidence of a Plate boundary where two plates move apart is(are)________.

Accepted Answer

A) earthquakes 
B) strike-slip faults on the sea floor 
C) mountain building along the plate boundary 
D) upwelling of hot material from the mantle 
A) earthquakes 
B) strike-slip faults on the sea floor 
C) mountain building along the plate boundary 
D) upwelling of hot material from the mantle

Question 18

In Wegener's time,scientists thought that the occurrence of fossils of the same organism in two different,disconnected continents was proof that ________.

Accepted Answer

A) there had once been land bridges separating the continents 
B) the weather patterns had changed over time such that some organisms could be blown by the wind from one place to another. 
C) there were icebergs in the Atlantic Ocean that could carry organisms from Africa to South America 
D) birds flew between the continents and carried the organisms with them. 
A) there had once been land bridges separating the continents 
B) the weather patterns had changed over time such that some organisms could be blown by the wind from one place to another. 
C) there were icebergs in the Atlantic Ocean that could carry organisms from Africa to South America 
D) birds flew between the continents and carried the organisms with them.

Question 19

Most deformation occurs along plate boundaries because ________.

Accepted Answer

A) that is where the molten material makes it easy to deform rock 
B) the plates are in constant motion and as a result the boundaries are where they interact 
C) the plates were broken along their boundaries so that is where they are weakest 
D) plates are rigid in their interior but the boundaries are in the asthenosphere. 
A) that is where the molten material makes it easy to deform rock 
B) the plates are in constant motion and as a result the boundaries are where they interact 
C) the plates were broken along their boundaries so that is where they are weakest 
D) plates are rigid in their interior but the boundaries are in the asthenosphere.

Question 20

Glossopteris,a fossil found in Africa,Australia,India,South America,and Antarctica,is significant because ________.

Accepted Answer

A) it demonstrated that wind could not have dispersed the organism over such a large area 
B) it demonstrated that water could not have dispersed the organism over such a large area 
C) it demonstrated that all of the continents where the fossil is found must have been tropical when the organism was alive 
D) it demonstrated that all of the continents where the fossil is found must have been cold when the organism was alive. 
A) it demonstrated that wind could not have dispersed the organism over such a large area 
B) it demonstrated that water could not have dispersed the organism over such a large area 
C) it demonstrated that all of the continents where the fossil is found must have been tropical when the organism was alive 
D) it demonstrated that all of the continents where the fossil is found must have been cold when the organism was alive.

Exam 7: Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

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

Evidence that tensile stresses are actively pulling the lithosphere apart in an ocean ridge system is given by ________.

Why did scientists not accept the Continental Drift hypothesis?

The asthenosphere is the second layer of the Earth characterized by ________.

Oceanic ridges represent ________ percent of the earth's surface.

Which parts of Pangaea broke apart first?

Identify the letter corresponding to the Transform plate boundary in the figure below:

The Hawaiian Island-Emperor Seamount chain formed as a result of ________.

The largest lithospheric plate is the ________.

When two plates move together,lithosphere is ________.

What is GPS (Global Positioning System)used for in the study of plate tectonics?

The San Andreas fault in California is a good example of a(n)________ plate boundary.

As the South Atlantic basin widens by seafloor spreading,Africa and South America are moving closer together.

A very long-lived magma source located deep in the mantle is called a ________.

Briefly explain how density affects subduction.

Briefly describe some possible future changes in the shape and size of the African Plate.

The most obvious evidence of a Plate boundary where two plates move apart is(are)________.

In Wegener's time,scientists thought that the occurrence of fossils of the same organism in two different,disconnected continents was proof that ________.

Most deformation occurs along plate boundaries because ________.

Glossopteris,a fossil found in Africa,Australia,India,South America,and Antarctica,is significant because ________.

Introduction to Earth Science

Matter and Minerals

Rocks: Materials of the Solid Earth

Weathering, soil, and Mass Wasting

Running Water and Groundwater

Glaciers, deserts, and Wind

Earthquakes and Earths Interior

Volcanoes and Other Igneous Activity

Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Geologic Time

Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

The Ocean Floor

Ocean Water and Ocean Life

The Dynamic Ocean

The Atmosphere: Composition,structure,and Temperature

Moisture, clouds, and Precipitation

Air Pressure and Wind

Weather Patterns and Severe Weather

World Climates and Global Climate Change

Origin of Modern Astronomy

Touring Our Solar System

Light,astronomical Observations,and the Sun

Beyond Our Solar System

Filters