Question 1

What happens when a continental plate meets an oceanic plate at a convergent boundary?

Accepted Answer

When a continental plate and an oceanic

Question 2

Under the theory of plate tectonics,the plates themselves are

Accepted Answer

A)  pieces of lithosphere at the surface of the solid Earth that move with respect to one another. 
B)  layers of lithosphere that are vertically stacked one atop the other. 
C)  composed only of continental rocks that plow through the weaker oceanic rocks. 
D)  very thick (approximately one-quarter of Earth's radius). 
A)  pieces of lithosphere at the surface of the solid Earth that move with respect to one another. 
B)  layers of lithosphere that are vertically stacked one atop the other. 
C)  composed only of continental rocks that plow through the weaker oceanic rocks. 
D)  very thick (approximately one-quarter of Earth's radius).

Question 3

Seafloor spreading

Accepted Answer

A)  recycles old oceanic crust. 
B)  recycles old continental crust. 
C)  creates new oceanic crust. 
D)  creates new continental crust. 
A)  recycles old oceanic crust. 
B)  recycles old continental crust. 
C)  creates new oceanic crust. 
D)  creates new continental crust.

Question 4

Contrast the east and west coast of North America with respect to plate tectonics.

Accepted Answer

The west coast of North America is an ac

Question 5

How does the lithosphere respond to stress?

Accepted Answer

A)  It flows. 
B)  It bends only. 
C)  It breaks only. 
D)  It bends or breaks. 
A)  It flows. 
B)  It bends only. 
C)  It breaks only. 
D)  It bends or breaks.

Question 6

According to the model proposed by geophysicist J.Tuzo Wilson,hot spots are caused by

Accepted Answer

A)  friction due to the lithosphere sliding atop the asthenosphere. 
B)  unusually dense concentrations of radioactive isotopes at various points in the crust. 
C)  hot plumes of mantle material that rise up through cooler,denser surrounding rock. 
D)  zones of localized subduction that produce melting of the mantle. 
A)  friction due to the lithosphere sliding atop the asthenosphere. 
B)  unusually dense concentrations of radioactive isotopes at various points in the crust. 
C)  hot plumes of mantle material that rise up through cooler,denser surrounding rock. 
D)  zones of localized subduction that produce melting of the mantle.

Question 7

Discuss why transform boundaries are found in conjunction with divergent boundaries.

Accepted Answer

Transform boundaries are found along mid

Question 8

The youngest sea floor is typically found

Accepted Answer

A)  along passive margins. 
B)  along active margins. 
C)  along mid-ocean ridges. 
D)  randomly within abyssal plains. 
A)  along passive margins. 
B)  along active margins. 
C)  along mid-ocean ridges. 
D)  randomly within abyssal plains.

Question 9

Which of the following is true of the lithosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is the same thing as the crust. 
B)  It is composed of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. 
C)  It is a very ductile layer in the upper part of the mantle. 
D)  It is the layer of the mantle directly below the asthenosphere. 
A)  It is the same thing as the crust. 
B)  It is composed of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. 
C)  It is a very ductile layer in the upper part of the mantle. 
D)  It is the layer of the mantle directly below the asthenosphere.

Question 10

Which of the following statements is true concerning rock produced at mid-ocean ridges?

Accepted Answer

A)  All of the rock produced is basalt. 
B)  All of the rock produced is gabbro. 
C)  Basalt is produced at shallow depths and gabbro at deeper depths. 
D)  Gabbro is produced at shallow depths and basalt at deeper depths. 
A)  All of the rock produced is basalt. 
B)  All of the rock produced is gabbro. 
C)  Basalt is produced at shallow depths and gabbro at deeper depths. 
D)  Gabbro is produced at shallow depths and basalt at deeper depths.

Question 11

Mid-ocean ridges are elevated above the surrounding seafloor because

Accepted Answer

A)  rising ocean currents create a vacuum that pulls ridges up. 
B)  the lithosphere is thickest at the ridges so they stand up taller. 
C)  ridge rocks are hot and therefore are relatively less dense than the surrounding seafloor. 
D)  ridge rocks are mafic,which are less dense than ultramafic ocean basin rock. 
A)  rising ocean currents create a vacuum that pulls ridges up. 
B)  the lithosphere is thickest at the ridges so they stand up taller. 
C)  ridge rocks are hot and therefore are relatively less dense than the surrounding seafloor. 
D)  ridge rocks are mafic,which are less dense than ultramafic ocean basin rock.

Question 12

How can hot-spot volcanoes be used to measure past plate velocities?

Accepted Answer

Hot-spot volcanic islands form on the su

Question 13

Summed over the entire surface of the Earth,the rate of spreading at divergent boundaries is ________ lithospheric consumption at subduction zones.

Accepted Answer

A)  faster than 
B)  slower than 
C)  equal to 
D)  unrelated to 
A)  faster than 
B)  slower than 
C)  equal to 
D)  unrelated to

Question 14

At a subduction zone,the downgoing (subducting)plate

Accepted Answer

A)  is always composed of continental lithosphere. 
B)  is always composed of oceanic lithosphere. 
C)  may be composed of either oceanic or continental lithosphere. 
D)  is composed entirely of asthenosphere. 
A)  is always composed of continental lithosphere. 
B)  is always composed of oceanic lithosphere. 
C)  may be composed of either oceanic or continental lithosphere. 
D)  is composed entirely of asthenosphere.

Question 15

An earthquake would be LEAST likely at a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  active margin. 
B)  passive margin. 
C)  continent-continent convergent zone. 
D)  subduction zone. 
A)  active margin. 
B)  passive margin. 
C)  continent-continent convergent zone. 
D)  subduction zone.

Question 16

Continental coastlines that occur within the interior of a tectonic plate are called ________ margins.

Accepted Answer

A)  internal 
B)  passive 
C)  active 
D)  inert 
A)  internal 
B)  passive 
C)  active 
D)  inert

Question 17

A volcanic island arc forms when

Accepted Answer

A)  oceanic lithosphere subducts beneath continental lithosphere. 
B)  oceanic lithosphere subducts beneath another oceanic lithospheric plate. 
C)  continental lithosphere subducts beneath oceanic lithosphere. 
D)  two plates of continental lithosphere collide. 
A)  oceanic lithosphere subducts beneath continental lithosphere. 
B)  oceanic lithosphere subducts beneath another oceanic lithospheric plate. 
C)  continental lithosphere subducts beneath oceanic lithosphere. 
D)  two plates of continental lithosphere collide.

Question 18

Which basic type of plate boundary is shown in the image below?

Accepted Answer

A)  Divergent 
B)  Convergent 
C)  Transvergent 
D)  Transform 
A)  Divergent 
B)  Convergent 
C)  Transvergent 
D)  Transform

Question 19

The image below shows a cross-sectional view of a typical subduction zone,with earthquake locations shown with small dots.The band of earthquakes that follows the shape of the downgoing plate is termed the ________ zone.

Accepted Answer

A)  transform fault 
B)  collisional 
C)  Wegener 
D)  Wadati-Benioff 
A)  transform fault 
B)  collisional 
C)  Wegener 
D)  Wadati-Benioff

Question 20

Compare and contrast the lithospheric mantle and the asthenosphere compositionally and behaviorally.

Accepted Answer

The lithospheric mantle and the asthenos

Exam 4: The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

What happens when a continental plate meets an oceanic plate at a convergent boundary?

Under the theory of plate tectonics,the plates themselves are

Seafloor spreading

Contrast the east and west coast of North America with respect to plate tectonics.

How does the lithosphere respond to stress?

According to the model proposed by geophysicist J.Tuzo Wilson,hot spots are caused by

Discuss why transform boundaries are found in conjunction with divergent boundaries.

The youngest sea floor is typically found

Which of the following is true of the lithosphere?

Which of the following statements is true concerning rock produced at mid-ocean ridges?

Mid-ocean ridges are elevated above the surrounding seafloor because

How can hot-spot volcanoes be used to measure past plate velocities?

Summed over the entire surface of the Earth,the rate of spreading at divergent boundaries is ________ lithospheric consumption at subduction zones.

At a subduction zone,the downgoing (subducting)plate

An earthquake would be LEAST likely at a(n)

Continental coastlines that occur within the interior of a tectonic plate are called ________ margins.

A volcanic island arc forms when

Which basic type of plate boundary is shown in the image below?

The image below shows a cross-sectional view of a typical subduction zone,with earthquake locations shown with small dots.The band of earthquakes that follows the shape of the downgoing plate is termed the ________ zone.

Compare and contrast the lithospheric mantle and the asthenosphere compositionally and behaviorally.

Cosmology and the Birth of the Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags,cracks,and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of the Earth

Squeezing Power From a Stone: Energy Resources

Riches in Rock: Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

An Envelope of Gas: the Earths Atmosphere and Climate

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Introducing Rocks

a Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

the Rock Cycle in the Earth System

the Earths Interior, Revisited: Seismic Layering, Gravity, and the Magnetic Field

Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

Ever-Changing Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

Prelude: and Just What Is Geology

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