The Wilson Cycle and Plate Boundaries

The video explains the Wilson cycle, a model for the formation and destruction of supercontinents. It covers the cycle's stages: embryonic, juvenile, mature, declining, and suturing. The embryonic stage involves rifting, while the juvenile stage sees new oceanic crust formation. The mature stage features vast ocean basins, and the declining stage involves subduction. Finally, the suturing stage leads to supercontinent formation. Key geological features and processes, such as rift valleys, mid-ocean ridges, and convergent boundaries, are discussed.

What is the Wilson cycle primarily concerned with?

• The formation of mountain ranges

• The formation and destruction of oceanic trenches

• The creation and breakup of supercontinents

• The movement of tectonic plates over hotspots

Which of the following is an example of a modern triple junction?

• The Himalayas

• The Andes Mountains

• The Mid-Atlantic Ridge

• The Red Sea and East African Rift

During the juvenile stage of the Wilson cycle, what significant geological feature is formed?

• A new oceanic crust at a mid-ocean ridge

• A convergent boundary

• A transform fault

• A volcanic island arc

What characterizes the mature stage of the Wilson cycle?

• The formation of a vast ocean basin

• The closing of ocean basins

• The creation of mountain ranges

• The formation of volcanic island arcs

What triggers the process of subduction in the declining stage of the Wilson cycle?

• The thickening of continental crust

• The cooling and densification of oceanic lithosphere

• The movement of tectonic plates over a hotspot

• The collision of two continental plates

Which type of convergent boundary results in the formation of volcanic island arcs?

• Continent-continent

• Ocean-continental

• Ocean-ocean

• Transform

What geological feature is formed during the suturing stage of the Wilson cycle?

• A mid-ocean ridge

• A volcanic island arc

• A massive continental craton

• A new oceanic trench