Plate Tectonics Quiz

What is plate tectonics?

• The study of Earth's outermost layer

• The movement and interaction of Earth's plates

• The process of one tectonic plate melting beneath another

• The sudden shaking of Earth's crust caused by volcanic activity

What is the lithosphere?

• The outer, solid portion of the Earth

• The layer in Earth's mantle between the lithosphere and the upper mantle

• The process of heat transfer by the movement of a liquid or gas

• The solid material turned to liquid by heat

Who proposed the theory of continental drift?

• Alfred Wegener

• Harry Hess

• John Tuzo Wilson

• Georg Gerster

What did Alfred Wegener suggest in his theory of continental drift?

• The movement of continents resulting from the motion of tectonic plates

• The transfer of heat by the movement of the heated parts of a liquid or gas

• The sudden shaking of Earth's crust caused by the release of energy along fault lines

• The process of one tectonic plate melting, sliding, or falling beneath another

What did Harry Hess propose in his hypothesis of seafloor spreading?

• The movement and interaction of Earth's plates

• The process of one tectonic plate melting beneath another

• The rift in an underwater mountain range where new oceanic crust is formed

• The solid material turned to liquid by heat

What is the main cause of the movement of tectonic plates?

• The convection of the asthenosphere and lithosphere

• The sudden shaking of Earth's crust caused by volcanic activity

• The process of one tectonic plate melting, sliding, or falling beneath another

• The transfer of heat by the movement of the heated parts of a liquid or gas

What is the role of fixed 'hot spots' in plate tectonics?

• They are responsible for the creation of volcanic island chains

• They cause the sudden shaking of Earth's crust

• They result in the melting, sliding, or falling of one tectonic plate beneath another

• They are the sites of mountain-building events

What did the maps of the ocean floor show in support of the theory of plate tectonics?

• A massive undersea mountain range that almost circled the entire Earth

• The sudden shaking of Earth's crust caused by the release of energy along fault lines

• The process of one tectonic plate melting, sliding, or falling beneath another

• The movement and interaction of Earth's plates

What is the significance of the San Andreas Fault?

• It is responsible for the creation of the Himalaya mountain range

• It is a rift in the underwater mountain range where new oceanic crust is formed

• It is the site of mountain-building events

• It is a tectonic plate boundary that can cause earthquakes

What did John Tuzo Wilson's explanation of volcanic island chains support?

• The movement and interaction of Earth's plates

• The process of one tectonic plate melting beneath another

• The sudden shaking of Earth's crust caused by volcanic activity

• The solid material turned to liquid by heat