Question 1

The Hawaiian mantle plume has left a chain of volcanic islands and seamounts stretching back for ~70 million years.Although the mantle plume has remained relatively stationary, the Pacific plate above it has moved.Use the figure to answer the following question. What direction was the Pacific plate moving between 65 and 43 million years ago?

Accepted Answer

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Question 2

Scientific research supports the existence of Alfred Wegener's proposed supercontinent, Pangaea, approximately 300 million years ago.Pangaea subsequently broke apart, and the pieces-our modern continents-migrated to the positions they occupy today.Based on your knowledge of the mechanics of tectonic motion, do you think there is a likelihood of another supercontinent forming? If so, where?

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Question 3

Mesosaurus is a small freshwater reptile that existed in the Permian Period.It is only found in black shale deposits in eastern South America and southwestern Africa.If the Mesosaurus is an aquatic reptile and the continents are currently separated by an ocean, evaluate why the Mesosaurus would be used as strong evidence in favor of continental drift rather than as evidence against it.

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Question 4

If there is no compositional difference between two oceanic plates, what other factor will determine which plate will become the subducted one and why? (What other factor can control density?)

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Question 5

When continental drift was first proposed in 1912, geologists from one specific continent strongly opposed the idea.Which continent's geologists were against the idea, and why did they have difficulty accepting it? (Think about where the evidence for continental drift is very clear.)

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Question 6

Lava lamps are commonly used to illustrate how convection cells in the mantle convey heat from the core to the exterior of the Earth.Explain how convection works, using a lava lamp as a proxy for the Earth.

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Question 7

How does the temperature of the lithosphere and that of the asthenosphere affect those layers' rigidities and responses when force is applied?

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Question 8

Explain how the shapes of polar wandering paths for Europe and North America and the locations of those continents can be used to support the existence of Pangaea.

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Question 9

Why would using the continental shelves to reassemble the continents provide a better fit than using the shorelines of the continents?

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Question 10

The acceptance of plate tectonics after the initial rejection of continental drift has been described as a scientific revolution.Explain why plate tectonics was so revolutionary and what tools were used to bring it about.

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Question 11

As the island of Hawaii continues to move away from the mantle plume, a new submarine volcano will be created.Off which coast would you expect the new submarine volcano to be forming?

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Question 12

The Hawaiian mantle plume has left a chain of volcanic islands and seamounts stretching back for ~70 million years.Although the mantle plume has remained relatively stationary, the Pacific Plate above it has moved.Use the figure below to answer the following question. What direction has the Pacific plate been moving for the last 40 million years?

Accepted Answer

The figure shows the direction of the Pacific Plate movement, and it has been moving in a northwestern direction for the last 40 million years.

Question 13

The Hawaiian mantle plume is a classic example of a long-lived mantle plume being used to demonstrate how the motion of a tectonic plate has changed over time.Which hot spot would be an even better indicator of the Pacific plate's motion over time?

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Question 14

There is an expression in American society that it would only take one good earthquake and the state of California would sink into the ocean.Using what you know about plate boundaries, evaluate this statement.

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Question 15

Which two aspects of continental drift were most objectionable to scientists of the early twentieth century? Why?

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Question 16

If new plate material is being created at divergent plate boundaries, is the Earth growing larger? Explain why or why not.

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Question 17

Alfred Wegener provided several pieces of evidence supporting the idea that the planet's continents were once joined in a single landmass.List three of them.

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Quiz 2: Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds