Understanding Plate Tectonics

What is the Earth's surface composed of according to plate tectonics theory?

• A uniform crust

• A single solid layer

• Multiple rigid plates

• Liquid magma

What happens when two plates move away from each other?

• Earthquakes occur

• Volcanoes erupt

• The plates dissolve

• New land is formed

Why is it incorrect to refer to the moving plates as 'crustal plates'?

• Because they include only the mantle

• Because they do not include the crust

• Because they consist of both the crust and the upper mantle

• Because they are entirely liquid

What is the lithosphere?

• A layer of pure magma

• The outer solid layer of the Earth, including the crust and upper mantle

• The entire mantle

• The liquid outer core of the Earth

What layer is the lithosphere riding on top of?

• The asthenosphere

• The outer core

• The lower mantle

• The inner core