Deck 2: Plate Tectonics and Physical Hazards

Question 1

Basalt lava flows primarily erupt in ____. ​

A)rift zones
B)continental collision zones
C)subduction zones
D)volcanic hotspots
E)convergence zones

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Transform boundaries are responsible for the formation of island chains such as the Hawaiian Islands. ​

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The theory of continental drift was developed using the theory of plate tectonics. ​

Answer 3

False

Question 4

When oceanic plates meet continental plates at a convergent boundary, a ____. ​

A)subduction zone will form because the oceanic plate is more dense than the continental plate
B)subduction zone will form because the oceanic plate is less dense than the continental plate
C)rift zone will form because the oceanic plate is more dense than the continental plate
D)rift zone will form because the oceanic plate is less dense than the continental plate
E)subduction zone will form on the oceanic plate, and a rift zone will form on the continental plate

Question 5

Compared to the lithosphere, the asthenosphere is ____.

A)cooler and more rigid
B)cooler and more plastic
C)hotter and more rigid
D)the same temperature and rigidity
E)hotter and more plastic

Question 6

The tallest mountain ranges are created at transform boundaries. ​

Question 7

Volcanoes are only formed at plate boundaries, and cannot exist in the middle of large plates. ​

Question 8

Earth's magnetic field played a crucial role in understanding subduction zones ​

Question 9

Areas of Earth's sea floor can create new crust because ____. ​

A)continental collisions raise mountains continuously higher
B)earthquakes consume new sea floor at transform zones
C)hot spots cause crustal material to sink into the mantle
D)continental plates rise higher through isostacy
E)crust is consumed in subduction zones

Question 10

Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust because ____.

A)continental crust stands at a higher altitude
B)oceanic crust is rich in silica
C)oceanic crust is compressed at convergent boundaries
D)water pressure from the oceans makes oceanic crust thinner
E)oceanic crust is rich in iron- and magnesium-containing minerals

Question 11

Earth's crust is thinner than its mantle. ​

Question 12

The concept of isostacy states that high-density rock will stand higher than low-density rock, which explains the formation of subduction zones. ​

Question 13

Earth's crust is divided into ____. ​

A)dozens of large plates and a much smaller number of small plates
B)about a dozen large plates and about an equal number of small plates
C)a small number of large plates and dozens of small plates
D)five large oceanic plates and an equal number of small plates
E)dozens of small plates

Question 14

The plates involved in plate tectonics are part of Earth's lithosphere. ​

Question 15

Which statement about the Earth's is true? ​

A)The lithosphere is less dense than the asthenosphere, and located above it.
B)The lithosphere is denser than the asthenosphere, and located above it.
C)The lithosphere is less dense than the asthenosphere, and located below it.
D)The lithosphere is denser than the asthenosphere, and located below it.
E)The lithosphere and asthenosphere are equally dense.

Question 16

Which process creates island chains with active volcanoes at one end? ​

A)Asthenospheric convection moves a magma plume under a stationary plate.
B)Magma plumes form on the Earth's outer core and rotate under a stationary plate.
C)Divergent boundaries move plates away from a stationary magma plume.
D)Convergent boundaries move the location of melting crust under a stationary plate.
E)Crustal plates move over a stationary magma plume.

Question 17

The concept of isostacy explains why ____. ​

A)magnetic differences exist in stripes along the seafloor
B)magma plumes are created
C)continental crust stands higher than oceanic crust
D)convection moves magma under the lithosphere
E)lithospheric plates move in response to convection

Question 18

A divergent boundary is responsible for rift zones. ​

Question 19

Convergent boundaries produce a relatively low number of earthquakes compared to other boundaries. ​

Question 20

Earthquakes are common along which types of plate boundaries? ​

A)only convergent
B)only divergent
C)only convergent and divergent
D)convergent, divergent, and transform
E)only convergent and transform

Question 21

Wegener's hypothesis that continents move apart ____. ​

A)was too flawed to result in an accepted theory
B)is disproved by modern data, but explains the reasons for continental drift properly
C)is disproved by modern data, and does not explain the reasons for continental drift properly
D)is confirmed by modern data, and explains the reasons for continental drift properly
E)is confirmed by modern data, but does not explain the reasons for continental drift properly

Question 22

Volcanoes and earthquakes along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are ____. ​

A)rare, but create catastrophic damage to island chains
B)rare, and do not threaten populations
C)common, and cause moderate coastal damage from storm surge
D)rare, but cause catastrophic coastal damage from tsunamis
E)common, and do not threaten populations

Question 23

When an oceanic plate collides with continental crust, a(n) _______________ zone is the most likely result. ​

Question 24

Magma plumes ____. ​

A)only create volcanoes on oceanic plates
B)create volcanoes on both oceanic and continental plates
C)only create volcanoes on continental plates
D)create only volcanoes on oceanic plates, and only earthquakes on continental plates
E)create only earthquakes on oceanic plates, and only volcanoes on continental plates

Question 25

Spreading centers on continental plates ____. ​

A)spread much faster than spreading centers on oceanic plates and create rift zones
B)spread much slower than spreading centers on oceanic plates and create rift zones
C)are identical to spreading centers on oceanic plates
D)spread much faster than spreading centers on oceanic plates but do not create rift zones
E)spread much slower than spreading centers on oceanic plates but do not create rift zones

Question 26

When an oceanic plate sinks in a subduction zone, a volcanic arc arises ____. ​

A)on the oceanic side of the zone
B)at the zone
C)on the opposite side of the subducting plate
D)on the opposite side of the inland plate
E)inland from the zone

Question 27

The _______________ includes the crust and portions of the upper mantle. ​

Question 28

Earth's magnetic field ____. ​

A)changes polarity due to motions in Earth's mantle, while plate motion remains relatively stable
B)changes polarity due to motions in Earth's core, while plate motion remains relatively stable
C)changes polarity due to motions in Earth's crust, while plate motion remains relatively stable
D)remains stable, while plate motion oscillates back and forth
E)remains stable, while magma motion oscillates back and forth

Question 29

Transform boundaries occur where ____. ​

A)rising basalt is transformed to rhyolite
B)volcanic arcs are created by convergent zones
C)there are no plate borders
D)plates move without pulling apart or colliding
E)a convergent boundary becomes a divergent boundary

Question 30

A(n) _______________ boundary is formed where two plates slide past each other. ​

Question 31

The San Andreas Fault marks a ____. ​

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

Question 32

The alternating stripes of magnetic field patterns are used to explain ____. ​

A)seafloor spreading
B)island chains
C)transform faults
D)stratovolcanoes
E)oceanic trenches

Question 33

Oceanic plates are ____. ​

A)poor in basalt, but rich in silicates
B)an even mix of basalts and silicates
C)rich in basalt and silicates
D)rich in basalt, but poor in silicates
E)poor in basalts and silicates

Question 34

Subduction zones ____. ​

A)dissipate heat from Earth's interior
B)occur when plates collide instead of sink
C)produce high mountain ranges
D)generate Earth's largest earthquakes
E)are rarely associated with volcanoes

Question 35

Wegener used ____. ​

A)only geographic information from maps in forming the theory of continental drift
B)only geological information from rock composition in forming the theory of continental drift
C)geographic and geological information to form the theory of continental drift
D)geographic and geological information to form the theory of plate tectonics
E)geographic and geological information to disprove the theory of plate tectonics

Question 36

The movement of Earth's plates is described by "the theory of _______________". ​

Question 37

The asthenosphere is part of the layer of Earth's interior called the _______________. ​

Question 38

Plate motion is responsible for ____. ​

A)only convergent boundaries
B)only divergent boundaries
C)convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries
D)only convergent and divergent boundaries
E)only divergent and transform boundaries

Question 39

The theory of plate tectonics is a ____.

A)theory that improved on the theory of continental drift
B)hypothesis that may improve on the theory of continental drift
C)theory that disproved the theory of continental drift
D)hypothesis that may disprove the theory of continental drift
E)natural law that arose from the theory of continental drift

Question 40

Basalt is material that ____.

A)forms most of the material of continental plates
B)is created when rhyolite is subjected to high temperatures
C)is created when serpentine reacts with seawater
D)comes from the mantle relatively unchanged
E)is created only at places where an oceanic plate subducts into the mantle

Question 41

Currents in Earth's core create a(n) _______________ field. ​

Question 42

Describe the three types of plate boundaries and the motions that lead to them. ​

Question 43

Discuss the source and interaction of basalt and rhyolite. ​

Question 44

_______________ volcanoes are found far from plate boundaries. ​

Question 45

A series of ridges along a divergent boundary marks a(n) _______________ zone. ​

Question 46

Wegener proposed that the major continents were once part of a supercontinent named _______________. ​

Question 47

The Himalayan mountains are located at a(n) _______________ boundary between Indian and Asian plates. ​

Question 48

The major islands of the state of Hawaii are formed from a line of separate volcanoes emerging from the ocean floor of the Pacific Plate. The line extends from Kauai in the northwest, to Hawai'i in the southeast over a range of hundreds of miles. Kauai was formed from volcanoes that formed about 5 million years ago; on Hawai'i the volcanoes are currently active. ​ Explain the process that formed the Hawaiian Islands and what information a geophysicist could determine about the motion of Earth's parts from observing them.

Question 49

Why is an understanding of Earth's magnetic field important in the acceptance of the theory of plate tectonics? ​

Question 50

The theories of continental drift and plate tectonics rely on many pieces of physical evidence. Identify and explain three observations that led to the acceptance of the theory of plate tectonics. ​