Deck 4: Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

Question 1

Which of the following is not a type of plate boundary?

A) hot spot
B) convergent
C) transform
D) divergent

Answer 1

hot spot

Question 2

The former late Paleozoic supercontinent is known as _______ .

A) Pangaea
B) Panatopia
C) Pandomonia
D) Pancakea

Answer 2

Pangaea

Question 3

What was the main view of how the world worked geologically prior to the 1960s?

A) It was generally believed that mountains were produced by vertical forces.
B) It was generally believed that continents and oceans moved.
C) It was generally believed that oceans formed as a result of meteorite impacts.
D) It was generally believed that the earth was flat.

Answer 3

It was generally believed that mountains were produced by vertical forces.

Question 4

The figure below shows a_______ boundary.

A) transform
B) divergent
C) convergent
D) hot spot

Question 5

Why did scientists not accept the Continental Drift hypothesis?

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 did not include a viable mechanism.
D) It was proposed by a woman.

Question 6

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

A) birds flew between the continents and carried the organisms with them
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) there had once been land bridges separating the continents

Question 7

_______was were. never proposed as evidence supporting the existence of Pangaea.

A) Islands of Precambrian rocks along the Mid- Atlantic Ridge
B) Geometrical fit between South America and Africa
C) Similar fossils on different continents
D) Late Paleozoic glacial features

Question 8

Wegener thought that _______.

A) there was once one big continent that later broke into several pieces
B) there was once one big continent that was later separated by the Atlantic Ocean
C) there were once several continents that recombined to form the continents we have today
D) there were once two big continents that were separated later by the Atlantic Ocean

Question 9

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

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 cold when the organism was alive
D) it demonstrated that all of the continents where the fossil is found must have been tropical when the organism was alive

Question 10

The lithosphere is the outer layer of the earth characterized by_______ .

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

Question 11

Wegener's work is a good demonstration of the scientific method because_______ .

A) his hypothesis passed all of the scientific testing to become a theory
B) he was wrong, and as a result, no one believed him
C) his hypothesis did not pass all of the scientific tests to become a theory
D) he was right, but no one believed him

Question 12

Observe the cartoons below. How do they relate to continental drift and plate tectonics?

A) It lends credence to continental drift as it indicates movement of continents.
B) It is the main basis for the objections to Wegener's theories.
C) It could be used to argue against continental motion as the animals find ways to migrate without the continents having moved.
D) They show the theory of plate tectonics because they indicate convergence.

Question 13

The largest lithospheric plate is the_______ .

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

Question 14

A transform boundary is characterized by_______ .

A) two converging oceanic plates meeting head- on and piling up into a mid- ocean ridge
B) stratovolcanoes on the edge of a plate and shield volcanoes on the adjacent plate
C) a deep, vertical fault along which two plates slide past one another in opposite directions
D) a divergent boundary where the continental plate changes to an oceanic plate

Question 15

The asthenosphere is the second layer of Earth characterized by_______ .

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

Question 16

Which of the following major discoveries was not made near or after World War II?

A) the extensive ranges of mountain chains on the sea floor
B) the absence of rocks older than 200 million years on the sea floor
C) deep focus earthquakes that occur in some regions of the earth
D) the apparent "fit" of the coastlines of Africa and South Africa

Question 17

The change from thinking the continents are stationary to understanding that the outer layer of the earth moves slowly nearly all of the time occurred primarily because_______ .

A) we had two world wars and learned a lot from them about the oceans that explained how continents moved
B) we got space travel and could see the motions
C) we began to make global observations that required recognition that the continents and oceans had not always been in their current positions
D) we improved our surveying instruments significantly

Question 18

Plate tectonic boundaries were first identified by _______.

A) mapping the mountain chains
B) mapping earthquakes and volcanoes
C) mapping subduction zone
D) mapping continental margins

Question 19

Which of the following statements apply to the asthenosphere, but not the lithosphere?

A) partial melting of rising granitic plumes produces huge volumes of basaltic magma
B) cool, rigid layer of crust and upper mantle that forms the tectonic plates
C) deforms mainly by brittle fracturing and faulting
D) zone in the upper mantle that deforms by plastic flowage

Question 20

What is a scientific revolution?

A) A rebellion among scientists
B) A rejection of an idea for 50 years, which according to the scientific process means it must be timed out and discarded
C) A major breakthrough discovery that alters scientists' view on how the earth works
D) A lack of consensus yet still a theory is accepted

Question 21

The Himalayas formed as a result of _______.

A) a hot spot
B) a continent- continent convergence
C) an ocean- continent convergence
D) an ocean- ocean convergence

Question 22

Oceanic lithosphere subducts sinks into the asthenosphere. because_______ .

A) the convection of the mantle pulls the lithosphere into the asthenosphere
B) old oceanic lithosphere is more dense that the asthenosphere
C) the upwelling magma at divergent boundaries pushes the lithospheric plate into the asthenosphere
D) the pressure from two plates colliding forces one plate into the asthenosphere

Question 23

The most obvious evidence of a plate boundary where two plates move apart isare_______.

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

Question 24

When two continents converge, _______ .

A) the sediments trapped between them are pushed up and deformed to make a mountain range
B) the heavier continent is subducted
C) the lighter continent is subducted
D) a volcanic arc forms on the upper plate

Question 25

The_______ is an example of an active, continent- continent collision.

A) northern movement of Baja California and a sliver of western California toward the Hawaiian Islands
B) westward movement of the South American plate over the Nazca plate
C) northward movement of India into Eurasia
D) Arabian Peninsula slamming into North Africa under the Red Sea

Question 26

Oceanic ridges represent _______percent of the earth's surface.

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

Question 27

Oceanic island arcs are similar to continental volcanic arcs in that_______ .

A) continental arcs make islands that are arc- shaped
B) oceanic island arcs form on continents when oceanic lithosphere is subducted
C) oceanic islands arcs form by the same mechanism as continental arcs
D) major continental mountain ranges formed from island arcs

Question 28

Which of the following is in a place where continental rifting is occurring today?

A) Himalayan Mountains in India and surrounding regions
B) Mt. Kilimanjaro in East Africa
C) Andes in South America
D) Mt. Fuji in Japan

Question 29

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

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

Question 30

When two plates move together, lithosphere is_______ .

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

Question 31

Below is an image of the plates and continents What is true of this map?

A) It illustrates plate tectonics because it is possible for a separate unit to consist of both continental and ocean basin.
B) It illustrates plate tectonics because each continent moves as a separate unit.
C) It illustrates continental drift because it is possible for a separate unit to consist of both continental and ocean basin.
D) It illustrates continental drift because each continent moves as a separate unit.

Question 32

Deep ocean trenches are surficial evidence for_______ .

A) rifting beneath a continental plate and the beginning of continental drift
B) rising of hot asthenosphere from deep in the mantle
C) sinking of oceanic lithosphere into the mantle at a subduction zone
D) transform faulting between an oceanic plate and a continental plate

Question 33

Material that was once considered to be asthenosphere can change to lithosphere by_______ .

A) thickening to 100 km
B) rising to a shallow level
C) cooling so that it will break
D) heating so that it will flow

Question 34

New York and London are on two separate plates so the distance between the cities is _______.

A) increasing
B) always changing direction
C) decreasing
D) stationary

Question 35

All of Earth's ocean basins are_______ .

A) less than 2 million years old
B) less than 2000 million years old
C) less than 20 million years old
D) less than 200 million years old

Question 36

Mount St. Helens and the other Cascade volcanoes are_______ .

A) a row of young, active, shield volcanoes built as western North America moved over a hot spot deep in the mantle
B) young, active stratovolcanoes built on a continental margin above a sinking slab of oceanic lithosphere
C) old, deeply eroded, basaltic shield volcanoes built when western North America was over the present- day site of the Hawaiian hot spot
D) old, deeply eroded stratovolcanoes built before the Pacific Ocean existed

Question 37

What is a typical rate for seafloor spreading?

A) 2 cm/hr
B) 2 cm/yr
C) 2 cm/day
D) 2 cm/s

Question 38

Most deformation occurs along plate boundaries because _______.

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

Question 39

An identifying characteristic of convergent boundaries is_______ .

A) long linear valleys with faults along the sides
B) linear mountain chains on the seafloor
C) deep, linear trenches in the seafloor
D) seamounts and atolls on the seafloor

Question 40

Why do scientists think that lithosphere has to be destroyed somewhere on or in the earth?

A) There is not enough lithosphere on the earth to account for what has been produced in the last 200 million years.
B) The earth is getting smaller as the new oceanic crust cools and contracts.
C) The moon is moving away from the earth and this would not happen if the earth had more lithosphere to increase its mass.
D) Lithosphere is created at divergent boundaries and the earth is not getting any larger.

Question 41

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

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

Question 42

Fracture zones associated with transform boundaries are found_______ .

A) in subduction zones
B) in the continental interior
C) at continental volcanic arcs
D) at mid- ocean ridges

Question 43

The below diagram shows the Indian subcontinent as it collided with Asia: This is an example of the formation of a _______.

A) collisional mountain chain
B) volcanic island arc
C) continental volcanic arc
D) transform fault

Question 44

Which parts of Pangaea broke apart first?

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

Question 45

All of the following are evidence supporting the theory of plate tectonics except for_______ .

A) ocean floor drilling
B) hot spots
C) paleomagnetism
D) changes in the Moon's orbit due to shifting plates

Question 46

Volcanoes form above subduction zones because_______ .

A) the subducting lithosphere melts as it descends and the magma descends deeper into the core
B) the asthenosphere is displaced by the subducting lithosphere and rises to the surface to form volcanoes
C) the lithosphere thickens above the subducting lithosphere and causes volcanoes to form
D) water is squeezed out of the subducting slab and the water triggers melting of the overlying asthenosphere

Question 47

The major driving force of Plate Tectonics is _______ .

A) heating of magma near the surface of the lithosphere
B) subduction of hot lithosphere
C) subduction of cold, dense lithosphere
D) decompression melting and the rise of magmas at spreading ridges

Question 48

A map of the ages of the sea floor shows_______ .

A) the direction of the plate motions
B) the location of modern plate boundaries
C) how fast the plates are moving
D) how much material was produced at the ridges during a given period of time

Question 49

Which of the following is not evidence collected by the Glomar Challenger in support of the Plate Tectonic model?

A) Fossils increase in age with increasing distance from the ridges.
B) Sediments get thicker with increasing distance from the ridges.
C) Oceanic crust is less than 180 million years old.
D) Continental crust is typically several hundred million years old or older.

Question 50

What is true of the apparent polar wandering?

A) There is only one magnetic pole, and it is the continents that wander.
B) Eurasia and North America have never been connected.
C) The magnetic pole wanders all over the globe, so sometimes it is near the equator.
D) There were two magnetic poles in times past, and now there is one.

Question 51

Which ocean formed as a direct result of the breakup of Pangaea?

A) Arctic
B) Pacific
C) Mediterranean
D) Atlantic

Question 52

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

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

Question 53

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) fit of the continents
B) paleomagnetism
C) ancient climates
D) fossil evidence

Question 54

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) seafloor spreading
B) divergent
C) arc volcanoes
D) oceanic ridge

Question 55

The San Andreas Fault zone in California is an example of_______.

A) a divergent plate boundary
B) an ocean- continent collision
C) a transform plate boundary
D) a continental rift

Question 56

Which of the following is considered the most important driving factor for Plate Tectonics?

A) whole mantle
B) slab pull
C) ridge push
D) layer cake

Question 57

Which of the following plates is getting significantly smaller?

A) Eurasia
B) Pacific
C) North America
D) Africa

Question 58

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

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

Question 59

Which convection model suggests that cold oceanic lithosphere sinks to great depths?

A) whole mantle
B) layer cake
C) slab pull
D) ridge push

Question 60

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

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

Question 61

Oceanic ridges are _______ than most mountain belts.

A) narrower
B) taller
C) shorter
D) wider

Question 62

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) island arc
B) subduction
C) volcanic arc
D) Hawaii

Question 63

Japan and the Aleutian Islands have formed from an_______ to_______ convergent boundary.

A) ocean; ocean
B) ocean; continent
C) continent; continent
D) continent; ocean

Question 64

The molten material that is generated above the subducting slab _______ .

A) contributes material to form volcanoes
B) is deposited in the trenches
C) becomes part of the core
D) is all incorporated into the asthenosphere

Question 65

Alfred Wegener developed the theory of_______ .

A) continental drift
B) sea floor stripes
C) slab- pull
D) plate tectonics

Question 66

As the South Atlantic basin _______by seafloor spreading, Africa and South America are moving_______ .

A) narrows; closer together
B) widens; closer together
C) narrows; further apart
D) widens; further apart

Question 67

The Himalayan Mountains are the tectonic product of a_______ between _______ and Eurasia that began 50 million years ago and still continues.

A) transform fault; the Pacific
B) subduction zone; Africa
C) hot spot; Iceland
D) collision; India

Question 68

A major problem with Wegener's Continental Drift Hypothesis was that he could not find _______to explain his theory.

A) a viable mechanism
B) glacial deposits
C) evidence of coastline fit
D) fossil evidence

Question 69

Wegener suggested that the_______ .

A) continental lithosphere was heavier than oceanic lithosphere
B) oceanic lithosphere was heavier than continental lithosphere
C) thick continents moved through the thinner ocean crust.
D) asthenosphere was molten

Question 70

Earth's radius and surface area are_______ .

A) remaining unchanged as subduction rate equals divergence rate
B) slowly decreasing as more and more oceanic lithosphere is subducted
C) slowly increasing to accommodate the new oceanic crust being formed at mid- ocean ridges
D) expanding because atmospheric warming is making the lithosphere larger

Question 71

Continental rifts_______ .

A) always proceed to completion begin from crustal thinning
B) could produce linear seas
C) cannot occur, only oceanic crust can have rifts
D) cannot turn into ocean basins

Question 72

Some _______ rich minerals will align themselves with the existing magnetic field when they from a magma.

A) silica; warm
B) iron; cool
C) iron; warm
D) silica; cool

Question 73

The greater the _______, the _______ the angle of descent for the subducting slab.

A) heat; steeper
B) heat; gentler
C) density; steeper
D) density; gentler

Question 74

_______is the youngest island of the Hawaiian Island chain.

A) Maui
B) Kaui
C) Hawaii
D) Oahu

Question 75

Oceanic crust has a_______ composition and therefore is _______than continental crust.

A) mafic; lighter
B) mafic; heavier
C) felsic; heavier
D) felsic; lighter

Question 76

Examine the words and/or phrases below and determine the relationship among the majority of words/phrases. Choose the option that does not fit the pattern.

A) earthquake pattern
B) hot spot track
C) volcano pattern
D) sedimentation rate

Question 77

Fossils from the sea floor become _______with increased distance from the ridges.

A) better preserved
B) hotter
C) older
D) less silica- rich

Question 78

The San Andreas fault in California is a good example of an_______ plate boundary.

A) convergent
B) divergent
C) transform
D) hot spot

Question 79

Lithosphere is _______at transform plate boundaries.

A) destroyed
B) generated
C) subducted
D) neither generated nor destroyed

Question 80

Iceland is a good example of an_______ .

A) island arc
B) divergent boundary
C) collisional mountain chain
D) continental arc