Question 1

Seafloor spreading occurs

Accepted Answer

A)  along deep ocean trenches. 
B)  at mid-ocean ridges. 
C)  along fracture zones. 
D)  at subduction zones. 
A)  along deep ocean trenches. 
B)  at mid-ocean ridges. 
C)  along fracture zones. 
D)  at subduction zones.

Question 2

Describe the process of seafloor spreading,making sure to address why the diameter of the Earth is not growing.

Accepted Answer

Magma rises and erupts onto the surface

Question 3

Do earthquakes occur randomly? What bathometric features coincide with seismic activity?

Accepted Answer

Earthquakes do not occur rando

Question 4

Distinctive rock sequences on South America terminate at the Atlantic Ocean but reappear on the continent of

Accepted Answer

A)  Africa. 
B)  Europe. 
C)  North America. 
D)  Australia. 
A)  Africa. 
B)  Europe. 
C)  North America. 
D)  Australia.

Question 5

Consult the figure below.Abundant swamps led to the formation of coal during the Late Paleozoic in which of the following places?

Accepted Answer

A)  India 
B)  Southern Africa 
C)  North America 
D)  Antarctica 
A)  India 
B)  Southern Africa 
C)  North America 
D)  Antarctica

Question 6

The rate of seafloor spreading exactly matches the rate of

Accepted Answer

A)  subduction. 
B)  ocean subsidence. 
C)  seafloor erosion. 
D)  magnetic declination. 
A)  subduction. 
B)  ocean subsidence. 
C)  seafloor erosion. 
D)  magnetic declination.

Question 7

Which of these is NOT the result of plate tectonics?

Accepted Answer

A)  continental movement 
B)  seafloor spreading 
C)  subduction 
D)  convection in the outer core 
A)  continental movement 
B)  seafloor spreading 
C)  subduction 
D)  convection in the outer core

Question 8

Wegener saw Pangaea as a jigsaw puzzle,where the puzzle pieces were

Accepted Answer

A)  oceans. 
B)  continents. 
C)  mid-ocean ridges. 
D)  plate tectonics. 
A)  oceans. 
B)  continents. 
C)  mid-ocean ridges. 
D)  plate tectonics.

Question 9

Mid-ocean ridges tend to be

Accepted Answer

A)  associated with the margins of continents. 
B)  roughly symmetrical about the ridge axis. 
C)  topographic lows on the ocean floor. 
D)  difficult to discern from the abyssal plains. 
A)  associated with the margins of continents. 
B)  roughly symmetrical about the ridge axis. 
C)  topographic lows on the ocean floor. 
D)  difficult to discern from the abyssal plains.

Question 10

The term and concept of seafloor spreading was developed by

Accepted Answer

A)  Hess and Dietz. 
B)  Hess and Wegener. 
C)  Wegener and Dietz. 
D)  Wegener. 
A)  Hess and Dietz. 
B)  Hess and Wegener. 
C)  Wegener and Dietz. 
D)  Wegener.

Question 11

Wegener's proposal that the continents had once fit together as a single supercontinent was rejected by geologists at the time because

Accepted Answer

A)  Wegener could not provide a driving force strong enough. 
B)  the continents did not fit together tightly enough. 
C)  the fossil evidence was inconclusive. 
D)  the distribution of climatic belts did not make sense in that configuration. 
A)  Wegener could not provide a driving force strong enough. 
B)  the continents did not fit together tightly enough. 
C)  the fossil evidence was inconclusive. 
D)  the distribution of climatic belts did not make sense in that configuration.

Question 12

What is most likely to be found at fracture zones?

Accepted Answer

A)  newly erupted oceanic crust 
B)  broad,flat,nearly featureless plains 
C)  broken-up rocks and vertical cracks 
D)  eroded remains of volcanic islands 
A)  newly erupted oceanic crust 
B)  broad,flat,nearly featureless plains 
C)  broken-up rocks and vertical cracks 
D)  eroded remains of volcanic islands

Question 13

What is paleomagnetism? How did the discovery of apparent polar-wander paths serve as a proof that continents move?

Accepted Answer

The record of the Earth's magnetic field

Question 14

Wegener's idea of continental drift was rejected by American geologists because

Accepted Answer

A)  his English was too poor to be understood by them. 
B)  he could not conceive of a valid mechanism that would cause continents to shift positions. 
C)  he had relatively little evidence supporting the existence of a supercontinent. 
D)  the apparent fit of continental coastlines is blurred when the margins are defined by the edges of continental shelves rather than by sea level. 
A)  his English was too poor to be understood by them. 
B)  he could not conceive of a valid mechanism that would cause continents to shift positions. 
C)  he had relatively little evidence supporting the existence of a supercontinent. 
D)  the apparent fit of continental coastlines is blurred when the margins are defined by the edges of continental shelves rather than by sea level.

Question 15

Late Paleozoic glacial deposits are NOT found in which of the following places?

Accepted Answer

A)  India 
B)  Southern Africa 
C)  North America 
D)  South America 
A)  India 
B)  Southern Africa 
C)  North America 
D)  South America

Question 16

In Wegener's evidence for continental drift,continents were proposed to fit together,such as the east coast of South America with the

Accepted Answer

A)  west coast of Europe. 
B)  east coast of Africa. 
C)  west coast of Greenland. 
D)  lower west coast of Africa. 
A)  west coast of Europe. 
B)  east coast of Africa. 
C)  west coast of Greenland. 
D)  lower west coast of Africa.

Question 17

If we mentally align the continents to fit Wegener's concept of Pangaea,evidence of Late Paleozoic glacial deposits

Accepted Answer

A)  is more difficult to explain than in the modern continental configuration. 
B)  is much more readily explained than in the modern continental configuration. 
C)  makes very little sense in either the Pangaea configuration or the modern configuration. 
D)  is unchanged from the modern continental configuration. 
A)  is more difficult to explain than in the modern continental configuration. 
B)  is much more readily explained than in the modern continental configuration. 
C)  makes very little sense in either the Pangaea configuration or the modern configuration. 
D)  is unchanged from the modern continental configuration.

Question 18

How do magnetic anomaly patterns on the ocean floor best serve as evidence for seafloor spreading?

Accepted Answer

A)  The symmetry on either side of mid-ocean ridges shows that new crust is created and then split apart. 
B)  Their patterns prove that the Earth's magnetic field reverses every few hundred years. 
C)  They show that island arc volcanism creates new oceanic crust at the mid-ocean ridges. 
D)  The symmetry on either side of mid-ocean ridges shows that transform boundaries are sliding boundaries. 
A)  The symmetry on either side of mid-ocean ridges shows that new crust is created and then split apart. 
B)  Their patterns prove that the Earth's magnetic field reverses every few hundred years. 
C)  They show that island arc volcanism creates new oceanic crust at the mid-ocean ridges. 
D)  The symmetry on either side of mid-ocean ridges shows that transform boundaries are sliding boundaries.

Question 19

Within the seafloor,the rate of geothermal heat flow is greatest

Accepted Answer

A)  along mid-ocean ridges. 
B)  along fracture zones. 
C)  at the edges of ocean basins. 
D)  in the center of abyssal plains. 
A)  along mid-ocean ridges. 
B)  along fracture zones. 
C)  at the edges of ocean basins. 
D)  in the center of abyssal plains.

Question 20

What was Alfred Wegener's continental-drift hypothesis? What does this have to do with Pangaea?

Accepted Answer

Alfred Wegener's continental-drift hypot

Exam 3: Drifting Continents and Spreading Seas

Seafloor spreading occurs

Describe the process of seafloor spreading,making sure to address why the diameter of the Earth is not growing.

Do earthquakes occur randomly? What bathometric features coincide with seismic activity?

Distinctive rock sequences on South America terminate at the Atlantic Ocean but reappear on the continent of

Consult the figure below.Abundant swamps led to the formation of coal during the Late Paleozoic in which of the following places?

The rate of seafloor spreading exactly matches the rate of

Which of these is NOT the result of plate tectonics?

Wegener saw Pangaea as a jigsaw puzzle,where the puzzle pieces were

Mid-ocean ridges tend to be

The term and concept of seafloor spreading was developed by

Wegener's proposal that the continents had once fit together as a single supercontinent was rejected by geologists at the time because

What is most likely to be found at fracture zones?

What is paleomagnetism? How did the discovery of apparent polar-wander paths serve as a proof that continents move?

Wegener's idea of continental drift was rejected by American geologists because

Late Paleozoic glacial deposits are NOT found in which of the following places?

In Wegener's evidence for continental drift,continents were proposed to fit together,such as the east coast of South America with the

If we mentally align the continents to fit Wegener's concept of Pangaea,evidence of Late Paleozoic glacial deposits

How do magnetic anomaly patterns on the ocean floor best serve as evidence for seafloor spreading?

Within the seafloor,the rate of geothermal heat flow is greatest

What was Alfred Wegener's continental-drift hypothesis? What does this have to do with Pangaea?

Cosmology and the Birth of the Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

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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