Lithospheric Plates

What causes the Earth's crustal plates to move?

• convection currents in the Earth's mantle

• revolution of the Earth around the Sun

• volcanism within the Earth's lithosphere

• the rotation of the Earth on its axis

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Where does most present-day faulting of rock occur?

• crustal plate boundaries

• interior areas of continental crustal plates

• polar regions of the Earth

• interior areas of oceanic crustal plates

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Which statement is true according to the theory of plate tectonics?

• Lithospheric plates are destroyed at the mid-ocean ridges.

• Continents drift because they rest on lithospheric plates that move.

• Lithospheric plates move because the inner core of the Earth is liquid.

• Transform boundaries form when two lithospheric plates collide.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The continents on Earth today are not in the same location as they were 300 million years ago. What concept provides the best explanation for the drifting of the continents?

• global warming

• law of conservation of mass

• seismic probability

• theory of plate tectonics

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

How do rock samples collected from the sea floor provide evidence of tectonic plate movement?

• Older rocks are found near the deep-ocean trenches.

• Older rocks are near the center of mid-ocean ridges.

• Younger rocks are near the deep-ocean trenches.

• Younger rocks are mixed with older rocks at mid-ocean ridges.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

Which statement is true about subduction zones?

• They occur when a less dense plate is pushed below a more dense oceanic plate.

• They result in mountains formed when two continental plates collide.

• They always result in sea-floor spreading.

• They always occur at convergent plate boundaries.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

A student prepares a model to show a convergent boundary between two plates, A and B.

What would happen if Plate A is a continental plate, and Plate B is an oceanic plate?

• Plate A would subduct beneath Plate B, forming an oceanic volcano.

• Plate B would subduct beneath Plate A, forming a deep trench.

• Plates A and B would collide, forming an oceanic ridge and a volcanic arc.

• Plates A and B would thrust rocks upward, forming a fold mountain.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The diagram shows a type of tectonic plate boundary.

What type of plate boundary is shown?

• oceanic-oceanic divergent plate boundary

• continental-continental divergent plate boundary

• continental-continental convergent plate boundary

• oceanic-continental convergent plate boundary

Which statement describes in detail the process of creating mountains?

• An oceanic plate collides with a continental plate pushing at a convergent boundary pushing both plates upward in to jagged rock formations.

• Two continental plates of equal density collide into each other at a convergent boundary crumpling and crushing under the pressure and folding upward creating jaded rock formations.

• Two continental plates of equal density collide into each other at a divergent boundary crumpling and crushing under the pressure and folding upward creating jaded rock formations

• Two continental plates of equal density collide into each other at a convergent boundary crumpling and crushing under the pressure and folding upward creating jaded rock formations over the course of millions of years.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

Which statement describes in detail the process of seafloor spreading?

• Two oceanic plates of equal density collide into each other at a divergent boundary pushing away from each other as the seafloor spreads.

• One oceanic plate and one continental plate at a divergent boundary are pushed away from each other by rising magma that fills in the rift valley creating mid-oceanic ridges, thereby creating new seafloor

• Two oceanic plates at a divergent boundary are pushed away from each other by rising magma that fills in the rift valley creating mid-oceanic ridges and new seafloor over the course of millions of years.

• Two oceanic plates at a divergent boundary are pushed away from each other by rising magma that fills in the rift valley creating mid-oceanic ridges, thereby creating new seafloor.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2