Deck 4: Earths Structure and Plate Tectonics

Question 1

During which of the following processes is oceanic crust recycled?

A) subduction
B) sea floor spreading
C) convection
D) mid-ocean rifting
E) ocean tides

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following best describes Earth's mantle?

A) high-density rock
B) metallic liquid
C) metallic solid
D) low-density rock
E) pure carbon

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The San Andreas Fault in California is an example of which of the following types of plate boundaries?

A) transform
B) divergent
C) convergent
D) subduction zone
E) transverse

Answer 3

A

Question 4

At what type of plate boundary would you expect to find a volcanic island arc?

A) oceanic-oceanic convergence
B) continental-continental convergence
C) continental-oceanic divergence
D) continental-continental divergence
E) oceanic-oceanic divergence

Question 5

Which of the following types of studies was the most critical in proving that sea-floor spreading actually occurs?

A) Paleomagnetic studies of oceanic crust.
B) Mapping of the ocean floor during World War I.
C) Mapping of glacial ice in Greenland & Antarctica.
D) Drilling oil and gas wells on the continental shelves.
E) Studying volcanic eruptions around the Ring of Fire.

Question 6

When rocks are stressed beyond their elastic limit the deformation becomes permanent.

Question 7

Which of the following lines of evidence was used by Alfred Wegener to support his theory of continental drift?

A) All of the answers listed here.
B) Fit of the continents.
C) Similar rock sequences on different continents.
D) Similar plant & animal fossils on different continents.
E) Glacial deposits on continents in the southern hemisphere.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the source of Earth's internal heat?

A) Internal friction and radioactive decay in Earth's interior.
B) The sun and residual heat from the planet's formation.
C) The sun and radioactive decay in Earth's interior.
D) Internal friction and the sun.
E) Internal friction & and heat generated by tidal forces.

Question 9

Which of the following processes drives the movement of tectonic plates?

A) convection cells in the mantle
B) gravitational pull of the Moon
C) ocean tides
D) solar radiation
E) all of the answers listed here

Question 10

At what type of plate boundary would you expect to see compressional forces dominate?

A) convergent
B) divergent
C) transform
D) transverse
E) transvergent

Question 11

Which of the following is the type of force that causes rocks to be extended, or pulled apart?

A) tension
B) compression
C) shear
D) transverse
E) gravity

Question 12

Earth's oceanic crust is considerably thicker than continental crust.

Question 13

The Himalaya Mountains are an example of which of the following types of plate boundaries?

A) continental-continental convergence
B) continental-oceanic divergence
C) oceanic-oceanic convergence
D) oceanic-oceanic divergence
E) continental-oceanic convergence

Question 14

Which of the following provide scientists with evidence that Earth's interior has distinct layers?

A) Behavior of seismic waves traveling through Earth's interior.
B) The effect of the Moon on Earth's tidal forces and solid rock.
C) Drilling of deep oil and gas wells.
D) Differences in gravity within Earth's interior.
E) Mapping of the deep ocean floor.

Question 15

At what type of plate boundary would you expect to find new oceanic crust being created?

A) divergent
B) convergent
C) transform
D) subduction Zone
E) transverse

Question 16

The geographic location of the magnetic North Pole has varied over geologic time.

Question 17

What best describes why the upper part of the mantle, called the asthenosphere, is important in plate tectonics?

A) It is hot and plastic like, which allows the overlying plates to slide or move.
B) It is the source of metallic minerals that form valuable ore deposits within the plates.
C) It is the place where plates originate.
D) It is the source of carbon that gets transformed into oil and gas within the plates.
E) It is cold and dense, which keeps the oceans in the overlying plates relatively cool.

Question 18

Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are randomly distributed on the Earth.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes Earth's outer core?

A) metallic liquid
B) metallic solid
C) low-density rock
D) high-density rock
E) pure carbon

Question 20

What best describes how the behavior of rocks changes when they become deeply buried and placed under high levels of heat and pressure?

A) They become ductile and deform plastically.
B) They become brittle and deform by fracturing.
C) They become harder and develop gravity fractures.
D) They become more resistant to deformation.
E) They begin to transform into metallic minerals.