Question 1

Which data were used to develop the hypothesis of continental drift?
A) the shape of the continents
B) the distribution of fossils
C) the distribution of glacial deposits and directions of glacial scratch marks
D) all of these

Accepted Answer

The hypothesis of continental drift was developed using a combination of evidence, including the jigsaw-like fit of the continents, the distribution of similar fossils across continents now widely separated, and the distribution and direction of glacial deposits and scratch marks that suggest a different configuration of continents in the past.

Question 2

What types of plate boundaries are shown in this figure? 
A) divergent
B) convergent
C) transform
D) divergent and transform
E) convergent and divergent

Accepted Answer

The answer of What types of plate boundaries are shown...

Question 3

At mid-ocean ridges, as two plates diverge:
A) solid mantle in the asthenosphere rises toward the surface and begins to melt due to decompression
B) solid mantle in the asthenosphere rises toward the surface and begins to melt due to the addition of heat
C) liquid mantle in the asthenosphere rises toward the surface

Accepted Answer

At mid-ocean ridges, solid mantle material from the asthenosphere rises toward the surface due to the divergence of tectonic plates. As it rises, the pressure decreases, leading to decompression melting, not because of the addition of heat or because the mantle is initially in a liquid state.

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true?
A) Earthquakes are more widespread than volcanoes or high mountains.
B) High mountains are more widespread than volcanoes or earthquakes.
C) Volcanoes are more widespread than earthquakes or high mountains.

Accepted Answer

Earthquakes occur due to the movement of tectonic plates and can happen almost anywhere on Earth, making them more widespread than volcanoes or high mountains, which are more localized based on geological conditions.

Question 5

This figure depicts what type of boundary? 
A) oceanic divergent boundary
B) ocean-ocean convergent boundary
C) ocean-continent convergent boundary
D) transform boundary
E) continental collision

Accepted Answer

The answer of This figure depicts what type of boundary?...

Question 6

Which areas) on this world map is likely to have volcanoes above sea level? 
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which areas) on this world map is...

Question 7

Which areas) on this world map are likely to be near a plate boundary? 
A) A and B
B) A and D
C) B and D
D) C and D
E) A, B, and C only

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which areas) on this world map are...

Question 8

An oceanic transform plate boundary is most likely associated with an):
A) oceanic trench
B) mountain belt or island arc
C) mid-ocean ridge
D) all of these

Accepted Answer

An oceanic transform plate boundary is most commonly associated with a mid-ocean ridge, where two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally. This type of boundary is not typically associated with the formation of oceanic trenches or mountain belts/island arcs, which are more characteristic of convergent boundaries.

Question 9

A convergent plate boundary is most likely associated with an):
A) oceanic trench
B) a linear chain of island
C) mid-ocean ridge
D) transform fault
E) none of these

Accepted Answer

A convergent plate boundary is characterized by the collision of two tectonic plates, often leading to the subduction of one plate beneath the other. This process typically forms oceanic trenches where the subducting plate descends into the mantle.

Question 10

The image shows the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a submarine volcanic mountain belt that is a key location in the process of: 
A) seafloor spreading
B) land bridges
C) continental drift
D) South Atlantic drift

Accepted Answer

The answer of The image shows the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a...

Question 11

As two oceanic plates diverge at mid-ocean ridges, melting of the rising mantle occurs due to:
A) decompression
B) the addition of heat
C) the addition of water

Accepted Answer

Decompression melting occurs as two oceanic plates diverge at mid-ocean ridges, reducing the pressure on the underlying mantle, which leads to melting without necessarily adding heat or water.

Question 12

What type of plate boundary is depicted by the smaller arrows in the center of this figure? 
A) divergent boundary
B) convergent boundary
C) transform boundary
D) hot spot
E) none of these

Accepted Answer

The answer of What type of plate boundary is depicted...

Question 13

Harry Hess and Robert Dietz proposed that the oceanic crust in the Atlantic Ocean was spreading apart at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and that this process moved the continents apart from one another. They called this process:
A) seafloor spreading
B) continental drift
C) plate tectonics
D) Gondwana

Accepted Answer

Seafloor spreading is the process proposed by Harry Hess and Robert Dietz, which explains how oceanic crust forms along mid-ocean ridges and moves the continents apart.

Question 14

What ideas brought a renewed interest to the idea of continental drift?
A) data that a submarine mountain occurred beneath the middle of the Atlantic Ocean
B) evidence that the entire Earth was once frozen
C) evidence that similar meteorites fall on different continents
D) evidence that a large meteorite caused extinction of the dinosaurs

Accepted Answer

The discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a submarine mountain range, provided evidence for seafloor spreading, which supported the theory of continental drift by showing that continents could move apart.

Question 15

The puzzle-like fit of the continents, similarity of rock types across continents, and glacial evidence all were pieces of evidence supporting Wegener's hypothesis of continental drift. What was another piece of supporting evidence?
A) distribution of similar fossils across multiple continents
B) land bridges were discovered connecting Africa and South America
C) continents were found to have plowed through ocean basins to move into current positions
D) gravitational pull of the Moon was found to be responsible for connecting Pangaea

Accepted Answer

The distribution of similar fossils across continents that are now widely separated supports the idea of continental drift, as it suggests these continents were once connected, allowing for the spread and evolution of species in a contiguous landmass before drifting apart.

Question 16

A divergent plate boundary is most likely associated with an):
A) oceanic trench
B) mountain belt or island arc
C) mid-ocean ridge
D) none of these

Accepted Answer

Divergent plate boundaries are areas where tectonic plates move away from each other, leading to the formation of new crust as magma rises from below the Earth's surface. This process is most commonly associated with mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed.

Question 17

What type of plate boundary is depicted in this figure? 
A) continental rift
B) ocean-ocean convergent boundary
C) ocean-continent convergent boundary
D) divergent and transform boundaries
E) continental collision

Accepted Answer

The answer of What type of plate boundary is depicted...

Question 18

Intense geologic activity occurs at plate:
A) boundaries
B) centers
C) bottoms

Accepted Answer

Intense geologic activity, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the creation of mountain ranges, predominantly occurs at the boundaries of tectonic plates where they interact with each other.

Question 19

Which areas) on this world map is likely to have earthquakes? 
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) A, B, and C only

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which areas) on this world map is...

Question 20

Volcanoes and earthquakes:
A) have many areas of overlap in their distributions on Earth
B) have few areas of overlap in their distributions on Earth
C) have no areas of overlap in their distributions on Earth

Accepted Answer

Volcanoes and earthquakes often occur in the same regions because both are related to the movement of tectonic plates. The boundaries of these plates are hotspots for seismic activity, leading to both volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

Quiz 3: Plate Tectonics

Which data were used to develop the hypothesis of continental drift?

What types of plate boundaries are shown in this figure?

At mid-ocean ridges, as two plates diverge:

Which of the following statements is true?

This figure depicts what type of boundary?

Which areas) on this world map is likely to have volcanoes above sea level?

Which areas) on this world map are likely to be near a plate boundary?

An oceanic transform plate boundary is most likely associated with an) :

A convergent plate boundary is most likely associated with an) :

The image shows the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a submarine volcanic mountain belt that is a key location in the process of:

As two oceanic plates diverge at mid-ocean ridges, melting of the rising mantle occurs due to:

What type of plate boundary is depicted by the smaller arrows in the center of this figure?

Harry Hess and Robert Dietz proposed that the oceanic crust in the Atlantic Ocean was spreading apart at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and that this process moved the continents apart from one another. They called this process:

What ideas brought a renewed interest to the idea of continental drift?

The puzzle-like fit of the continents, similarity of rock types across continents, and glacial evidence all were pieces of evidence supporting Wegener's hypothesis of continental drift. What was another piece of supporting evidence?

A divergent plate boundary is most likely associated with an) :

What type of plate boundary is depicted in this figure?

Intense geologic activity occurs at plate:

Which areas) on this world map is likely to have earthquakes?

Volcanoes and earthquakes: