Tectonic Plates and Fossil Distribution Quiz

What is the process called when plates are moving away from each other and new crust is created?

• Plate collision

• Seafloor spreading

• Volcanic eruption

• Subduction

Which type of convergent boundary involves the collision of two continental plates?

• Continental-continental

• Oceanic-oceanic

• Oceanic-continental

• Transform

What is the well-known transform boundary in California where the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate are sliding past each other?

• Andes Mountains

• East African Rift

• San Andreas Fault

• Mid-Atlantic Ridge

How do tectonic plate movements lead to the formation of sedimentary environments?

• By uplifting and exposing ancient rocks

• By creating deep ocean trenches

• By causing volcanic eruptions

• By transporting and depositing sediment particles

What happens to the layers of sedimentary rocks over time?

• They break down into smaller particles

• They become compacted and turn into igneous rocks

• They are uplifted and exposed by tectonic plate movements

• They accumulate and protect the remains of ancient organisms

What is the process called when minerals from surrounding sediment or groundwater replace organic material and turn it into fossils?

• Deposition

• Weathering

• Erosion

• Fossilization

What can scientists gain insights into by studying exposed rocks and fossils?

• Past climate patterns

• Current tectonic plate movements

• Future changes in the Earth's crust

• Past life forms and ecosystems

What is the main influence of tectonic plate movements on the distribution of fossils?

• Formation of sedimentary environments

• Transportation and deposition of sediment particles

• Creation of volcanic island arcs

• Exposure of ancient rocks

What do scientists use fossils to reconstruct and understand?

• Future changes in the Earth's crust

• Past climate patterns

• Current tectonic plate movements

• Past ecosystems and the evolution of species

What do tectonic plates remind us about the Earth?

• It is a static and unchanging place

• It is a dynamic and ever-changing place

• It is not influenced by plate movements

• It is a solid and unchanging layer