Deck 2: Internal Structure of Earth and Plate Tectonics

Question 1

Where would you find ridge push?

A) at a convergent boundary
B) at a divergent boundary
C) at a transform fault boundary
D) at a hotspot
E) between a continent and an ocean plate

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT true about the mantle?

A) The mantle surrounds the outer core.
B) It is composed of iron- and magnesium-rich silicate rocks.
C) The density of the rocks is higher than water.
D) The density of the rocks is lower than the outer core.
E) It is mostly liquid

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Why aren't volcanoes associated with continent-continent convergence?

A) Both plates are too buoyant to sink into the asthenosphere.
B) The continental plate isn't hot enough to cause volcanoes.
C) Volcanoes are not associated with convergent plate boundaries.
D) Rising magma from melted plates can't break through continental crust.
E) Volcanoes only occur on islands in the ocean and not on land.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is the correct order of the layers of the Earth from inside to outside?

A) inner core, outer core, crust, mantle
B) inner core, mantle, outer core, crust
C) crust, inner core, outer core, mantle
D) inner core, outer core, mantle, crust
E) mantle, inner core, crust, outer core

Question 5

What is paleomagnetism?

A) the study of the magnetism of rocks at their origin
B) the study of magnetism during ice ages
C) the study of magnetism at the Earth's core
D) the study of magnetism of new magma
E) the study of magnetism of the Earth's poles

Question 6

Which of the following is TRUE about plate tectonics?

A) Explains that continents drift around the globe.
B) Explains that the earth's crust is split into plates that float on the ocean water.
C) It is a mostly discredited theory popular in the 1800s.
D) Explains that the earth's crust is split into plates that slip on the asthenosphere layer of the earth.
E) None of the above are true about plate tectonics.

Question 7

Which of the following is TRUE about the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?

A) It is in the middle of the ocean.
B) It is a divergent boundary where tectonic plates move apart.
C) It is a place where new lithosphere is created.
D) It is a site of deep see volcanoes and mountains.
E) All of the above are true about the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Question 8

The energy for plate tectonics comes from

A) the magnetic field of the earth.
B) heat from the sun.
C) gravity between the earth and moon.
D) ocean currents.
E) heat from the earth's core.

Question 9

If you wanted to draw the boundaries of plates on a globe,which of the following maps would give you the most complete information?

A) map of active volcanoes
B) map of mid-ocean ridges
C) map of earthquake distribution
D) map of the edge of continental shelves
E) map of hotspots

Question 10

What is the importance of magnetic reversals to the theory of plate tectonics?

A) It causes earthquakes.
B) It provides evidence for seafloor spreading.
C) It causes volcanic eruptions.
D) It provides a mechanism for plate tectonics.
E) It explains times of rapid change on the Earth's surface.

Question 11

What would be the correct relationship between the crust and the lithosphere?

A) The crust sits on top of the lithosphere.
B) The lithosphere sits on top of the crust.
C) The lithosphere and the crust are the same thing.
D) The lithosphere contains both the oceans and the continents, the crust only includes continents.
E) The lithosphere is liquid, whereas the crust is solid.

Question 12

Where are earthquakes generally found?

A) convergent boundaries
B) divergent boundaries
C) transform fault boundaries
D) hotspots
E) Earthquakes are found on all of the above locations

Question 13

What is the difference between the inner and outer core of the Earth?

A) The inner core is liquid and the outer core is solid.
B) The inner core is made from magma and the outer core is metal.
C) The inner core is solid and the outer core is liquid.
D) The inner core is cool and the outer core is hot.
E) The inner core is hot and the outer core is cool.

Question 14

Volcanic eruptions along the west coast of North America are due to

A) hotspot plume activity in the mantle.
B) divergent plate boundaries resulting in a spreading ridge.
C) collision zones that result in mountain building.
D) convergent plate boundaries where subduction occurs and generates melts.
E) transform plate boundary where plates slide past one another.

Question 15

Which of the following best describes the internal structure of the earth?

A) An orange, it has a thin peel with a solid, but watery inside.
B) A bowling ball, it is completely solid all the way through.
C) An egg, it is solid at the core, surrounded by liquid and then a hard outer shell.
D) A geode, it is hollow at the center with a strong, hard, outside layer.
E) A chocolate covered cherry, it is solid at the core surrounded by a liquid layer and semi-solid layer, then covered in a thin solid coating.

Question 16

What would you NOT expect to see at sites where plates are sinking?

A) earthquakes
B) volcanoes
C) magma
D) new seafloor
E) All of the above occur where plates are sinking.

Question 17

The Hawaiian Islands are an example of

A) two ocean plates converging.
B) two continental plates converging.
C) diverging plates.
D) hotspots.
E) transform fault boundary.

Question 18

How do geologists know about the inside of the Earth?

A) They have drilled holes into the Earth and sent sensors down to its center.
B) They study very large canyons that have been uplifted from the center of the Earth.
C) They study the movement of earthquake waves throughout the Earth.
D) They study the movement of water waves in the ocean.
E) They have built a ship that can dig into the Earth and take a team of scientists to its center.

Question 19

The Himalayas are associated with which of the following plate boundaries?

A) ocean-continental convergence
B) ocean-ocean convergence
C) continent-continent convergence
D) divergent
E) transform fault

Question 20

The youngest seafloor rocks are found

A) nearest to the mid-ocean ridges.
B) nearest to the continental shelves.
C) evenly distributed throughout the ocean.
D) underneath the continents.
E) where the ocean is the flattest.

Question 21

The ocean crust of the Earth is older than the continents.

Question 22

The Himalayas are associated with which type of plate boundary?

A) convergent boundary: oceanic plate subducting beneath continental plate
B) divergent boundary
C) transform boundary
D) convergent boundary: continent - continent collision
E) convergent boundary: oceanic plate subducting beneath oceanic plate

Question 23

Oceanic Plates migrate and move at a rate of ________ per year.

A) one metre
B) several metres
C) almost insignificant amounts
D) only a few millimetres
E) several centimetres

Question 24

The inside of the Earth is composed of layers that have different properties.

Question 25

The Mohorovicic discontinuity,or Moho,is the boundary that marks density contrast between which two layers of the Earth's interior?

A) the mantle and outer core
B) the Asthenosphere and mantle
C) the lithosphere and mantle
D) the mantle and crust
E) the inner core and outer core

Question 26

The high risk of a mega-quake (mag 8.5 - 9.0)in Vancouver,British Columbia is due to what type of movement,relative to the North American Plate?

A) the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate
B) the spreading of the Pacific Plate
C) the subduction of the Pacific Plate
D) Movement along the San Andreas Fault
E) collision with the Pacific Plate

Question 27

Which of the following volcanoes sits above the Cascadia subduction zone?

A) Iceland
B) Hawaii
C) Mount Fuji
D) Mount St. Helens
E) Mount Etna

Question 28

Mantle "hotspots" underlie

A) Mount St. Helens and Mount Lassen.
B) the San Andreas Fault and Mount Lassen.
C) Yellowstone and Mauna Loa.
D) the Cascadia subduction zone.
E) Yellowstone and Mount St. Helens.

Question 29

The asthenosphere layer of the Earth is liquid.

Question 30

The crust of the earth is considered the thinnest layer of the earth.

Question 31

Which modern mountain chain is the site of the continent-continent collision?

A) the Rockies
B) the Andes
C) the Appalachians
D) Japan
E) the Himalayas

Question 32

The oldest oceanic crust on the seafloor is approximately no older than ________ years old.

A) 4.3 billion
B) 200 million
C) 10 million
D) 100 million
E) 1 billion

Question 33

The release of water and carbon dioxide from a subducting oceanic plate causes

A) sea levels to rise.
B) pooling of liquid water and carbon dioxide in chambers below the Earth's surface.
C) an increase in rock density in the overriding lithospheric plate.
D) an increase in the temperature of the magma.
E) the rocks in the overriding lithospheric plate to melt.

Question 34

Scientists believe that the inner core of the Earth is

A) a rocky solid, composed of iron and magnesium-rich silicates.
B) liquid, comprising molten iron.
C) a metallic solid, composed of nickel.
D) solid metal, composed of mostly iron.
E) a molten alloy of iron and nickel.

Question 35

The lithosphere is the rigid outer layer of solid Earth,which includes

A) the crust plus the entire mantle.
B) only the oceanic crust.
C) the crust plus the uppermost mantle.
D) the crust plus the asthenosphere.
E) both the continental crust and the oceanic crust.

Question 36

Which of the following statements about the lithosphere is FALSE?

A) It is hot and relatively gooey and allows the crust to move.
B) It includes the upper part of the Earth's mantle.
C) It is broken into a series of plates.
D) It is rigid and strong.
E) It includes both crust and upper mantle.

Question 37

What phenomenon of the ocean crust led scientists to propose the idea of sea-floor spreading?

A) volcanoes in Japan
B) symmetrically magnetized stripes of rock on the ocean floor
C) earthquakes in the middle of the ocean
D) mountain chains around the Pacific Ocean
E) the San Andreas fault

Question 38

Which of the following,forms the thickest layer on the interior of the earth?

A) lithosphere
B) mantle
C) outer core
D) crust
E) inner core

Question 39

Mount St.Helens is a volcano associated with which type of lithospheric plate boundary?

A) convergent boundary
B) divergent boundary
C) transform boundary
D) hotspot boundary
E) continental collision boundary

Question 40

The Earth's magnetic field is generated by

A) convection of hot iron-rich fluid around a solid core.
B) convection of magma in the Earth's mantle.
C) the natural rotation of the Earth.
D) gamma radiation emitted from the Sun.
E) the iron-rich magnetic core.

Question 41

Geologists have samples of rock from the Earth's core.

Question 42

Continent-continent collisions are responsible for all mountain building events on Earth.

Question 43

Plates are constantly in motion and moving very quickly.

Question 44

Most of the world's earthquakes and volcanoes occur at or near plate boundaries.

Question 45

The Earth remains a constant size due to the balance of plate destruction in subduction zones and production of new lithosphere at spreading ridges.

Question 46

The ocean floor is younger than the rocks on the continents.

Question 47

Divergent plate boundaries occur on remote seafloor spreading ridges and do not present any hazards for populated areas.

Question 48

Vancouver,British Columbia is at great risk of a serious mega-quake due to movement along the Cascadian Subduction Zone.

Question 49

Explain the concept of convection.Describe how convection may work in the mantle of the Earth.

Question 50

Subduction zones commonly feature submarine trenches which have some of the deepest ocean waters,reaching several kilometres in depth.

Question 51

Give a description of the lithosphere,crust,asthenosphere,and mantle and explain the relationships between them.

Question 52

The Wadati-Benioff Zone marks the boundary between crust and mantle.

Question 53

During subduction,one plate sinks under another tectonic plate.

Question 54

Tectonic plates are defined by the location of continents and oceans.

Question 55

Explain how the seafloor expands and then explain why the Earth does not get any bigger or smaller.

Question 56

The Mohorovicic discontinuity separates rocks of the lithosphere from the asthenosphere.

Question 57

At 3000 km thickness,the mantle is the thickest section in the interior of the Earth.

Question 58

The cool,strong,outermost layer of the solid Earth is referred to as the lithosphere.

Question 59

The Hawaiian emperor chain of volcanic islands are a result of a mantle hotspot that is migrating in an easterly trajectory.

Question 60

Iron-bearing minerals in volcanic rocks formed at spreading ridges can align with the Earth's magnetic field.

Question 61

Compare and contrast the mantle and crust.

Question 62

Explain the importance of paleomagnetism in understanding plate tectonics.

Question 63

Describe the mechanisms of ridge push and slab pull and explain which one is the more important process in driving plate tectonics.

Question 64

Describe the three types of plate boundaries.Identify the types of associated hazards and explain how they are generated.

Question 65

Describe the theory of continental drift and explain how it relates to plate tectonics.

Question 66

Explain why the location of volcanoes does not give a complete picture of the location of the plate boundaries.

Question 67

Magnetic reversals have happened throughout the Earth's history.Explain how these magnetic reversals have been used as evidence for Seafloor Spreading.If there had not been magnetic reversals,suggest some other pieces of evidence that might be used to support the idea of Seafloor Spreading.

Question 68

Briefly describe the Wadati-Benioff Zone.

Question 69

Describe how the Hawaiian Islands were formed and explain how they are evidence for plate motion.

Question 70

Describe the balance between the birth and destruction of crust on the seafloor.

Question 71

Volcanic activity can result from hotspot activity and divergent plate boundaries.Explain where and how the magma for each of these volcanoes comes from and how it rises to the surface.In this explanation,briefly describe the layers of the Earth and how convection is a mechanism for plate tectonics.

Question 72

What is plate tectonics?