Plate Tectonics Unit questions

1. Alfred Wegener is best known for developing
   

   		the relationship between plate tectonics and climate
   		the technology to measure seafloor spreading
   		the principle of uniformitarianism
   		the theory of continental drift

3 points

QUESTION 2

1. Describe what a subduction zone is and how subduction is related to the movement of lithospheric plates.

4 points

QUESTION 3

1. After Pangaea broke up, Laurasia consisted of
   

   		Asia and Africa
   		North America, Europe, and Asia
   		Africa, South America, and the Pacific Islands
   		Asia, Australia, and Antarctica

3 points

QUESTION 4

1. If an oceanic plate converges with a continental plate, the oceanic plate is subducted under the continental one. What property of oceanic plates leads to this observation?
   

   		Oceanic plates are thicker than continental plates.
   		Oceanic plates are denser than continental plates.
   		Oceanic plates are older than continental plates.
   		Oceanic plates are made of lighter minerals than continental plates.

3 points

QUESTION 5

1. Which of the following is NOT an indication that all of Earth’s landmasses were once joined together and have subsequently split apart due to tectonic activity?
   

   		the shapes of the continents and how they appear to be pieces of a jigsaw puzzle
   		similarities between fossils in locations now separated by sea
   		similarities in rock structures between the east coast of North America and the west coast of Europe
   		similarities in vegetation between equatorial regions of different continents

3 points

QUESTION 6

1. If you placed a dot on a world map to represent the location of every earthquake in the last 100 years, where would you see earthquake activity most concentrated? Why is this so?
   

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4 points

QUESTION 7

1. Earthquake waves travel at different velocities through different parts of Earth. This difference is based mostly on
   

   		density differences among rock materials
   		the types of nearby plate boundaries
   		environmental conditions such as temperature and air pressure
   		whether or not the waves travel through water

3 points

QUESTION 8

1. On a seismic risk map, the color white is associated with

   		low earthquake risk
   		no earthquake risk
   		moderate earthquake risk
   		severe earthquake risk

3 points

QUESTION 9

1. Large waves of sea water triggered into motion by an earthquake are called
   

   		Raleigh waves
   		love waves
   		tsunamis
   		s-waves

3 points

QUESTION 10

1. Which of the following should you NOT do immediately after an earthquake?
   

   		seek communication with family members
   		turn on the lights
   		avoid candle use
   		all of the above

3 points

QUESTION 11

1. How do tectonic plates move in respect to each other at convergent plate boundaries?
   

   		move away from each other
   		move toward each other
   		move by sliding past each other
   		move by one plate being rifted from another

3 points

QUESTION 12

1. Explain how the formation of oceanic trenches and folded mountain belts on continents are related to convergent plate boundaries.
   

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4 points

QUESTION 13

1. Why are volcanoes common at convergent plate boundaries?
   

   		Stress builds up as one continent pushes against another one.
   		Due to subduction, rock material is melted in the mantle and then moves back upward as magma.
   		Continental plates get subducted at trench zones, causing the upward flow of magma.
   		The opening up of a mid-ocean ridge lets magma well up from the mantle.

3 points

QUESTION 14

1. Large ash flow eruptions are associated with which type of volcano?
   

   		shield volcanoes
   		stratovolcanoes (also called composite volcanoes)
   		lava domes
   		hotspots

3 points

QUESTION 15

1. What type of magma will have the most built-up pressure because of its high strength and viscosity?
   

   		recrystallized
   		basaltic
   		iron-rich
   		silica-rich

3 points

QUESTION 16

1. The zones where lithospheric plates moves apart from one another are called
   

   		divergent plate boundaries
   		convergent plate boundaries
   		transform plate boundaries
   		subduction boundaries

3 points

QUESTION 17

1. Describe the features of the mid-ocean ridge. How is the formation of the mid-ocean ridge related to plate tectonics?
   

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4 points

QUESTION 18

1. Heat flow from the ocean floor is highest at
   

   		trenches
   		broad, flat area
   		mid-ocean ridges
   		thick sediments

3 points

QUESTION 19

1. Which oceanic feature is associated with divergent plate seismicity?
   

   		volcanic arcs
   		hotspots
   		trenches
   		crest of the mid-ocean ridge

3 points

QUESTION 20

1. Continental rift zones are areas where the crust has been
   

   		compressed
   		uplifted and pulled apart
   		folded and faulted
   		fractured by reverse faults

3 points

QUESTION 21

1. The San Andreas Fault in California is caused by horizontal sliding of the Pacific Plate past the North American Plate. This is an example of a
   

   		spreading center
   		convergent plate boundary
   		subduction zone
   		transform plate boundary

3 points

QUESTION 22

1. How do transform plate boundaries contrast with divergent and convergent plate boundaries?
   

   		Transform plate boundaries do not result in the formation or consumption of lithosphere.
   		Transform plate boundaries result in more vertical displacement of lithosphere.
   		Transform plate boundaries have fracture zones associated with them.
   		Transform plate boundaries have less horizontal motion associated with them.

3 points

QUESTION 23

1. Which of the following famous transform fault systems produces large earthquakes in Canada?
   

   		North Anatolian
   		Alpine
   		Queen Charlotte
   		Chaman

3 points

QUESTION 24

1. Which of the following best describes earthquakes along transform plate boundaries?
   

   		common and large
   		common but small-scale
   		rare but large
   		rare and small-scale

3 points

QUESTION 25

1. What kind of activity produces metamorphic rocks at transform plate boundaries? What happens to cause the formation of new rocks at these locations?
   

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4 points

QUESTION 26

1. Isostatic adjustment refers to
   

   		the folding of continental lithosphere into a mountain range
   		the metamorphic changes that take place during plate convergence
   		the rising of land due to a change in mass and density after the removal of materials by erosion
   		the altering of rock material during tectonic movement

3 points

QUESTION 27

1. Which of the following best describes the topography of a continental shield?
   

   		relief generally over 1000 meters
   		relief generally at or about 1000 meters
   		relief generally over 10,000 meters
   		relief generally less than 100 meters

3 points

QUESTION 28

1. Which geologic province of North America is a place where the crust has been uplifted and extended, forming alternating areas of high elevation and low elevation?
   

   		Canadian Shield
   		Appalachian Ridge and Valley
   		Basin and Range
   		Snake River Plain

3 points

QUESTION 29

1. The Hawaiian Islands are part of a volcanic arc and are formed by volcanism at a convergent plate boundary.
   

   
   True
   
   False
   

2 points

QUESTION 30

1. A hotspot is a surface manifestation of a mantle plume.

   
   True
   
   False
   

2 points

QUESTION 31

1. Mantle plumes have not been observed directly. How do we infer that they exist?
   

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4 points

QUESTION 32

1. Which of the following environmental problems can be associated with volcanic eruptions?
   

   		acid rain
   		destruction of the ozone layer
   		both a and b
   		build up of photochemical smog

3 points