Earth's Plate Tectonics and Forces

What creates Earth's mountain ranges, oceans, and volcanoes?

• Weather patterns

• Plate tectonics

• Moon's gravity

• Ocean currents

What happens at subduction zones?

• New crust is created.

• Plates move apart.

• One plate slides beneath another.

• Volcanoes stop erupting.

What did geologists and geophysicists first think caused Earth's plates to move?

• Wind currents

• Ocean tides

• Mantle convection currents

• Volcanic eruptions

What is the force called when a sinking plate edge pulls the rest of the plate downward?

• Ridge push

• Slab pull

• Trench suction

• Mantle convection

What is the force called when gravity pulls new plate material away from mid-ocean ridges, causing it to slide downhill?

• Slab suction

• Ridge push

• Mantle convection

• Plate friction

What are the four main forces that help move continents on Earth?

• Wind erosion, water currents, ice sheets, and volcanic eruptions.

• Mantle convection, ridge push, slab pull, and slab suction.

• Gravity, magnetic fields, solar winds, and atmospheric pressure.

• Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and tornadoes.

Where are new plates created on Earth?

• At the center of continents.

• Deep within the Earth's core.

• At mid-ocean ridges.

• On top of mountains.

What are the massive, 15,000-kilometer wide features found at the base of Earth's mantle that slow down seismic waves?

• Underground oceans.

• Large Low-Velocity Provinces.

• Ancient magma chambers.

• Subduction zones.

What might Large Low-Velocity Provinces (LLVPs) be made of?

• Pure water and ice.

• Light gases and air.

• Denser material, possibly remnants of old surface plates.

• Molten iron from the outer core.

Which two elements are found in unusually high amounts in erupting lavas and volcanoes, suggesting they come from Earth's surface remnants deep in the mantle?

• Oxygen and Nitrogen.

• Carbon and Hydrogen.

• Helium and Uranium.

• Gold and Silver.