STAAR

The San Andreas Fault is a transform fault.  The map shows a student's approximation of where the fault line crosses through the United States.  Students were asked to make maps predicting which way land would most likely move over thousands of years.  Which map best predicts the likely movement of land along the fault line over thousands of years.

• A
• B
• C
• D

The image shows a plate boundary.  Arrows have been added to indicate the movement of the plates.  What plate boundary feature is also shown?

• A ridge formed by an inactive convergent boundary
• A valley forming at an active divergent site
• A fault forming at an active transform boundary
• A volcano formed by an active transform boundary

The diagram shows a model of the movement of two tectonic plates.  When the plates collide, one plate often moves below the other plate.  The rising magma that can result from this type of plate movement may produce-

• fossil layers
• volcanic islands
• deep-sea sediment
• seafloor spreading

The satellite photo show San Francisco, California, which has many miles of coastline and an inland bay.  Which area of the coastline has most likely experienced the greatest effect of erosion from waves over hundreds of years?

• Area N
• Area P
• Area S
• Area T

The map shows the locations of four active volcanoes in the Caribbean Sea.  What do these volcanoes indicate about plate tectonics in the region?

• The volcanoes form an island arc, indicating a converging plate boundary
• The volcanoes form a line, indicating a divergent plate boundary
• Two plates are moving past each other, causing faulting and magma formation
• Two plates are moving apart, creating new sea floor

A mid-ocean ridge separates the Pacific plate and the Nazca plate off the western coast of South America.  Which statement best describes the relative motions of the Pacific and Nazca plates?

• The Pacific Plate and Nazca plates are both moving to the east
• The Pacific and Nazca plates are both moving to the west
• The Pacific plate is moving to the west, and the Nazca plate is moving to the east
• The Pacific plate is moving to the east, and the Nazca plate is moving to the west.

A student stands at the point marked x on the topographic map.  What height is meters must the student climb to reach the top of the hill?

• 300 m
• 303 m
• 253 m
• 250 m

The topographic map shows the location of a park ranger at Point X when a message is received that an injured hiker needs help at Point Z.  Which of these is the closest to the difference in elevation between the locations of the ranger and the injured hiker?

• 2,050 m
• 450 m
• 910 m
• 3,650 m