Plate Tectonics Quiz

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1. The idea proposed by Alfred Wegener to explain the continental shapes and positions is known as _____.
A) Pangaea
B) plate tectonics
C) continental drift
D) rift valley
E) sea floor spreading

2. In the diagram below, which two continents did Weger believe to have a perfect "fit"?

A) North America - South America
B) North America - Africa
C) South America - Asia
D) Europe - North America
E) South America - Africa

3. According to Wegener's model, what evidence did glaciers leave for the existence of Pangaea?
A) striations
B) glacial lakes
C) fossils
D) soil deposits
E) ice

4. What was the name of the floral fossils Wegener used for the idea of continental drift?
A) Mesosaurs
B) trilobites
C) Glossopteris
D) Pseudoschwagerina
E) oak

5. In the figure below, what is the age of the sea floor off of the Bahamas?

A) younger than 9.6 million years
B) 9.6 - 33.0 million years
C) 33.0 - 83.0 million years
D) 83.0 - 141.9 million years
E) older than 141.9 million years

6. Which of the following terms best describes the rocky outer layer of the Earth?
A) asthenosphere
B) biosphere
C) atmosphere
D) lithosphere
E) hydrosphere

7. According to the figure below, the island of Molokai was probably over the hot spot approximately how many million years ago?

A) 0.8
B) 1.0
C) 1.30
D) 2.9
E) 3.2

8. According to the figure below, which of the following types of plate boundaries produce the deepest earthquakes?

A) transform fault boundary
B) divergent boundary
C) continental collision boundary
D) subduction zone boundary
E) all the same

9. According to the figure below, which of the following types of plate boundaries produce the shallowest earthquakes?

A) transform fault boundary
B) divergent boundary
C) continental collision boundary
D) subduction zone boundary
E) all the same

10. What term best describes to driving force behind plate tectonics?
A) expansion
B) convergence
C) convection
D) divergence
E) transformation
11. The phenomenon of the Earth's magnetic pole being in different locations in the past is known as _______.
A) convection
B) sea floor spreading
C) normal polarity
D) reverse polarity
E) apparent polar wandering
12. The scientific study of earthquakes and seismic waves is known as _______.
A) seismograph
B) seismogram
C) seismology
D) vulcanology
E) tectonics

13. According to the figure below, which type of waves would cause more damage?

A) P
B) S
C) both produce equal damage
D) neither produce damage
E) none of the above

14. _______ are the first waves to leave the focus after an earthquake.
A) P-waves
B) S-waves
C) surface waves
D) body waves
E) shear waves

15. In the figure below, what is the approximate time of the arrival of the P-waves?

A) 1 minute
B) 2 minutes, 15 seconds
C) 3 minutes
D) 4 minutes
E) 5 minutes, 30 seconds

16. In the figure below, what is the approximate time of the arrival of the surface waves?

A) 1 minute
B) 2 minutes, 15 seconds
C) 3 minutes
D) 4 minutes
E) 5 minutes, 30 seconds

Fill In The Blank

17. According to the figure below, _______ is the location of the earthquake.

 
18. The reptilian fossils that Wegener used to help prove his ideas about plates are known as _______.
19. The exact point where an earthquake occurs below the surface is the _______.
True/False Questions

20. Pangaea is the name of the supercontinent proposed by Harry Hess.

True/False

21. The Hawaiian Islands are a result of the Pacific Plate passing over a hot spot.

True/False

22. Rocks closer to the spreading centers in the oceans are older than the rocks farther away from the spreading center.

True/False

23. Global positioning systems (GPS) are a reliable way to measure plate movements.

True/False

24. The rate at which plates move apart is approximately 1 to 10 cm/year.

True/False

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Brooklyn College - Geology Department