Plate Tectonics and Index Fossils

Olivia became interested in the fossil evidence that Wegener used to form his hypothesis of continental drift. How did fossils show that the continents were once joined together?

• Animal fossils, such as the Mesosaurus, were found on one continent.

• Scientists found examples of different kinds of fossils on some continents.

• Plant fossils of the same kind of fernlike plants were found on five continents.

• Freshwater animal fossils were found in the nearly oceans.

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NGSS.HS-LS4-1

After studying plate tectonics, Lee became interested in mid-ocean ridges and how rock develops as the tectonic plates spread apart. He decided to investigate further. Which of the following statements are true about sea-floor spreading? Choose the three statements which apply.

• Young rock forms in layers on the ocean floor as spreading occurs.

• Magma flows through cracks in Earth's crust and hardens.

• Continental crust is formed by the ridges as they grow.

• Mid-ocean ridges are the sources of the spreading.

• Older rock is farther away from the mid-ocean ridges.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Julia watches a pot of water boil. The boiling water reminded her of the convection currents she had learned about while studying plate tectonics. How do these currents drive the motion of Earth's plates?

• Ocean water rises as it warms and falls as it cools to move the plates.

• Hot melted rock rises and cooler rock sinks in the mantle, forming currents that move the plates.

• Melted rock rises and falls and the currents move the mantle while the crust remains in place.

• The crust moves in a current to drive the motion of the water in the oceans.

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Maria visited the mountains in Wyoming and became interested in the different ways that mountains and valleys form. How do mountains and valleys develop from a series of normal faults?

• A footwall slips down to form a valley at a converging plate boundary. Rock on either side of the valley becomes the mountains.

• Walls of rock grind past each other in opposite directions. This pushes one side up above the other to form the mountains.

• Compression causes rock to fold and bend, but not break, in the middle of a plate. The rock that folds upwards becomes a series of mountains.

• A hanging wall slips down at a diverging plate boundary. The slab of crust that falls forms a valley and the slabs on each side form mountains.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Isabella read about what can happen at the different kinds of plate boundaries. At a convergent boundary, water may be trapped and may mix with the material in the mantle. What occurs if this material reaches the surface before cooling?

• A major earthquake

• A volcano

• A tsunami

• A folded mountain

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Which of the following best describes the formation and structure of a volcano and explains how an explosion develops and what can happen as the volcano erupts?

• A volcano forms when magma from within the Earth's upper mantle works its way to the surface. At the surface, it erupts to form lava flows and ash deposits.

• Volcanoes are formed by the accumulation of sand and dust over millions of years.

• Volcanoes are large bodies of water that erupt when the Earth's crust shifts.

• Volcanoes are formed by the collision of tectonic plates, creating mountains.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-1

Having studied plate tectonics in school, Roberto grew interested in tectonic plates and how they move. Plates move in different ways along plate boundaries. What determines how the plates interact at their boundaries?

• The materials the plates are made of

• The difference in thickness of the plates

• The kind of plates they are and whether they keep moving

• The kind of boundary and the directions in which the plates are moving

The Indian and Asian plates met and formed a boundary. What kind of boundary was formed as a result of their meeting?

• Convergent boundary

• Divergent boundary

• Transform boundary

• Passive boundary

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NGSS.HS-ESS1-5

Brody compared the kinds of magma formed in the various types of volcanoes. He knew that the amount of silica that magma contains will affect its flow. He learned that a slow, steady flow of magma can form shield volcanoes in some places. What is one cause for the formation of a shield volcano?

• Earthquake

• Hotspot

• Caldera

• Lava plateau

The movement of Earth's tectonic plates generates tremendous force. Which force pulls on Earth's crust, stretching the rock to make it thinner?

• Compression

• Stress

• Shearing

• Tension