Question 1

Where is oceanic lithosphere thickest and why?

Accepted Answer

A) Along oceanic ridges because it is newest there 
B) Furthest from the spreading center because the older oceanic crust is cooler 
C) In the middle of the tectonic plate as it has not been scraped off during subduction 
D) Close to the subduction zone boundary because continental material is added to it 
A) Along oceanic ridges because it is newest there 
B) Furthest from the spreading center because the older oceanic crust is cooler 
C) In the middle of the tectonic plate as it has not been scraped off during subduction 
D) Close to the subduction zone boundary because continental material is added to it B

Question 2

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

A) Southeast 
B) North 
C) Northwest 
D) Northeast 
E) West 
A) Southeast 
B) North 
C) Northwest 
D) Northeast 
E) West C

Question 3

What is the name of the supercontinent proposed by Alfred Wegener?

Accepted Answer

A) Pangaea 
B) Rodinia 
C) Amasia 
D) Nuna 
A) Pangaea 
B) Rodinia 
C) Amasia 
D) Nuna A

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

The lithosphere is cooler and

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

The shorelines are continuously eroded b

Question 6

Think about what happens to the density of an oceanic plate as it ages and cools.How will the age and temperature of the subducting plate affect its angle of descent?

Accepted Answer

A) Old, cool plates will have a shallow angle of descent. 
B) Old, warm plates will have a steeper angle of descent. 
C) Young, warm plates will have a shallow angle of descent. 
D) Young, cool plates will have a steeper angle of descent. 
A) Old, cool plates will have a shallow angle of descent. 
B) Old, warm plates will have a steeper angle of descent. 
C) Young, warm plates will have a shallow angle of descent. 
D) Young, cool plates will have a steeper angle of descent.

Question 7

Which type of plate boundary accounts for the smallest percentage of all plate boundaries on the surface of the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Convergent boundaries 
B) Divergent boundaries 
C) Transform boundaries 
A) Convergent boundaries 
B) Divergent boundaries 
C) Transform boundaries

Question 8

Which of the following statements regarding the global oceanic ridge system is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) The ridge system marks the deepest locations on the Earth's surface. 
B) The ridge system marks the locations of most mantle plumes in the mantle. 
C) The ridge system is the longest topographic feature on the Earth's surface. 
D) The ridge system has an extensive submarine canyon system. 
A) The ridge system marks the deepest locations on the Earth's surface. 
B) The ridge system marks the locations of most mantle plumes in the mantle. 
C) The ridge system is the longest topographic feature on the Earth's surface. 
D) The ridge system has an extensive submarine canyon system.

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

No.The Earth is remaining the

Question 10

Continental rifting is occurring today in ________.

Accepted Answer

A) western California (San Andreas Fault) 
B) between Minnesota and Wisconsin (mid-continent rift) 
C) the Pacific Northwest (Cascadia subduction zone) 
D) Ethiopia and Kenya (East African Rift valley) 
A) western California (San Andreas Fault) 
B) between Minnesota and Wisconsin (mid-continent rift) 
C) the Pacific Northwest (Cascadia subduction zone) 
D) Ethiopia and Kenya (East African Rift valley)

Question 11

How can GPS receivers and satellites be used to monitor plate motion?

Accepted Answer

A) GPS receivers are placed on landmasses to track their locations. 
B) Satellites send lasers to measure the distance to continents. 
C) GPS receivers send signals to each other to see if the units are getting closer together. 
D) Satellites track seafloor spreading. 
A) GPS receivers are placed on landmasses to track their locations. 
B) Satellites send lasers to measure the distance to continents. 
C) GPS receivers send signals to each other to see if the units are getting closer together. 
D) Satellites track seafloor spreading.

Question 12

Continental crust is mainly composed of ________, whereas oceanic crust is mainly composed of ________.

Accepted Answer

A) olivine; basalt 
B) limestone; gabbro 
C) granite; basalt 
D) gabbro; granite 
A) olivine; basalt 
B) limestone; gabbro 
C) granite; basalt 
D) gabbro; granite

Question 13

Which war was indirectly responsible for the development of the tools that made the theory of plate tectonics possible?

Accepted Answer

A) World War I 
B) World War II 
C) Korean War 
D) Vietnam War 
A) World War I 
B) World War II 
C) Korean War 
D) Vietnam War

Question 14

Which of the following plate boundaries is not usually associated with volcanism?

Accepted Answer

A) Convergent 
B) Divergent 
C) Transform 
A) Convergent 
B) Divergent 
C) Transform

Question 15

Another name for a ________ boundary is a destructive boundary.

Accepted Answer

A) convergent 
B) divergent 
C) transform 
A) convergent 
B) divergent 
C) transform

Question 16

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.

Accepted Answer

Scientists initially held onto the belie

Question 17

Which of the following makes it possible for oceanic crust created at divergent boundaries to be carried to the sites of destruction at convergent boundaries?

Accepted Answer

A) Transform boundaries that accommodate plate motion 
B) Seawater seeping into plate fractures to lubricate the rocks 
C) Magma plutons weighing the crust down at convergent boundaries, pulling the slab 
D) Alignment of magnetic fields in iron particles 
A) Transform boundaries that accommodate plate motion 
B) Seawater seeping into plate fractures to lubricate the rocks 
C) Magma plutons weighing the crust down at convergent boundaries, pulling the slab 
D) Alignment of magnetic fields in iron particles

Question 18

What generates the heat necessary for convection in the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Volcanic eruptions 
B) Friction between moving slabs 
C) Chemical reactions between geologic materials and hydrothermal fluids 
D) Decay of radioactive materials 
A) Volcanic eruptions 
B) Friction between moving slabs 
C) Chemical reactions between geologic materials and hydrothermal fluids 
D) Decay of radioactive materials

Question 19

The lithosphere is broken into ________ major plates and many minor plates.

Accepted Answer

A) seven 
B) nine 
C) twelve 
D) fifteen 
A) seven 
B) nine 
C) twelve 
D) fifteen

Question 20

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.

Accepted Answer

For the first 300 million years, the pol

Exam 2: Plate Tectonics: a Scientific Revolution Unfolds

Where is oceanic lithosphere thickest and why?

What is the name of the supercontinent proposed by Alfred Wegener?

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

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

Think about what happens to the density of an oceanic plate as it ages and cools.How will the age and temperature of the subducting plate affect its angle of descent?

Which type of plate boundary accounts for the smallest percentage of all plate boundaries on the surface of the Earth?

Which of the following statements regarding the global oceanic ridge system is correct?

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

Continental rifting is occurring today in ________.

How can GPS receivers and satellites be used to monitor plate motion?

Continental crust is mainly composed of ________, whereas oceanic crust is mainly composed of ________.

Which war was indirectly responsible for the development of the tools that made the theory of plate tectonics possible?

Which of the following plate boundaries is not usually associated with volcanism?

Another name for a ________ boundary is a destructive boundary.

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.

Which of the following makes it possible for oceanic crust created at divergent boundaries to be carried to the sites of destruction at convergent boundaries?

What generates the heat necessary for convection in the Earth?

The lithosphere is broken into ________ major plates and many minor plates.

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.

An Introduction to Geology

Matter and Minerals

Magma, Igneous Rocks, and Intrusive Activity

Volcanoes and Volcanic Hazards

Weathering and Soil

Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism and Metamorphic Rocks

Geologic Time

Crustal Deformation

Earthquakes

Earths Interior

Divergent Boundaries

Convergent Boundaries

Mass Wasting

Running Water

Groundwater

Glaciers and Glaciation

Deserts and Winds

Shorelines

Global Climate Change

Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

Energy and Mineral Resources

Touring Our Solar System

Filters

Continental crust is mainly composed of , whereas oceanic crust is mainly composed of .