Ch. 2
The geophysicist __________ was the first to come up with the idea of continental drift.
Alfred Wegener
The first person to advance the idea of mobile continents or continental drift was:
Alfred Wegener.
Which of the following is not a known hotspot?
Antarctica
The plastic layer below the surface of the Earth on which the plates float is called the:
Asthenosphere
Which of the following is the term for a plate boundary where the plates are moving away from each other and new crust is being created?
Divergent
Climate change data from the geologic past has been used as evidence for the movement of the continents. Which of the following is a relevant example of this type of evidence?
Glacial sediments found in India
In the ocean, where are the youngest rocks found?
Mid-oceanic ridges
Which of the following is an example of a continental-continental divergent plate boundary?
Red Sea
The mid-ocean ridge, where new crust is created, is also called a(n) .
Spreading Center
A trench and a chain of volcanoes known generally as a volcanic arc are always present where there is __________.
Subduction
Areas where crust is being destroyed and recycled are called .
Subduction zones
Volcanoes on the seafloor that are flat-topped because of wave erosion are called ________
Tablemounts
Observations in the Appalachian Mountains in the United States and the Caledonian Mountains in Europe have revealed that there are similar rock types and structures in both mountain ranges. From this, which of the following can be inferred?
These mountain ranges were once connected during the time of Pangaea.
New ocean basins are created at divergent boundaries following what two initial processes?
Upwarping and rifting
Which of the following features is associated with an oceanic-oceaninc convergent boundary?
Volcanic Island arc
Tectonic plates move about as fast as ________
Your fingernails grow
The Andes Mountains are an example of ________ plate boundary.
an oceanic-continental convergent
The Mariana Trench is an example of ________ plate boundary.
an oceanic-oceanic convergent
What is the name of the supercontinent hypothesized by Alfred Wegener?
Pangea
What is the age of the oldest ocean floor?
180 million years
The San Andreas Fault is an example of ________ plate boundary.
A continental transform
Which of the following is an example of an oceanic-oceanic convergent plate boundary?
Aleutian Islands
There are rocks on Earth that show magnetic north pointing in multiple directions. These rocks are the same age. What is the most plausible explanation for this?
At the time of formation, the rocks were in different positions, all orienting toward magnetic north. As the continents have moved, the rocks have moved with them from their original positions.
If the Earth is 4.6 billion years old, why is the oldest ocean floor only 180 million years old?
Because the oldest crust is destroyed at subduction zones.
Based on present-day plate movement, in the future the Atlantic Ocean will get and the Pacific Ocean will get .
Bigger, smaller
What part of the continents was determined to be the best "fit" when considering evidence for continental drift?
Continental shelf
Mountains are created at what specific plate boundary type?
Continental-continental convergent boundary
The Himalayan Mountains and Alps are geographic examples of which type of plate boundary?
Convergent
Which of the following is an example of an oceanic-oceanic divergent plate boundary?
East Pacific Rise
About 300 million years ago, the Appalachian Mountains in North America were matched up with the identical rocks from which area?
Europe
Where are the only two places in the world where continental ice sheets occur today?
Greenland and Antarctica
Underwater volcanoes that have been eroded over millions of years, resulting in a flat top, are called .
Guyots
Of the Hawaiian Island Chain, which island is the youngest in age?
Hawaii
Which of the following is an example of a continental-continental convergent plate boundary?
Himalaya Mountains
Areas of volcanic activity that are not located at plate boundaries and do not change position are called .
Hotspots
Which of the following Wilson cycle stages would the Red Sea be considered?
Juvenile
Which of the following is used to determine the orientation of Earth's magnetic field in the geologic past?
Magnetite
What polarity is Earth's magnetic field at present?
Normal
Of the following statements about ocean crust, which is/are true?
Ocean crust is destroyed at deep sea trenches; Ocean crust is created at the mid-ocean ridge.
Most large earthquakes occur along which of the following?
Ocean trenches
Most divergent boundaries are moving slowly. At which of the following locations at divergent boundaries does the quickest movement happen?
Oceanic rises
Which layer of the Earth produces the Earth's magnetic field?
Outer core
The San Andreas Fault in California cuts through which two plates?
Pacific Plate and North American Plate
The study of historical changes of continental shapes and positions is called:
Paleogeography
Which of the following was not used as evidence for continental drift?
Paleomagnetic reversals
Which of the following statements is true of the lithosphere?
The lithosphere is composed of the crust and the uppermost portion of the mantle.
Which of the following is the term for the plate boundary type where crust is neither created nor destroyed, but the plates are moving laterally past each other?
Transform
What factor determines which plate is subducted at a subduction zone?
density
What are the three stages of coral reef development, from first to last?
fringing, barrier, atoll
Coral reefs ________.
include atolls, barrier, and fringing reefs
The San Andreas Fault:
is a continental transform fault.
The solid layer of the Earth that moves and makes up the plates is the .
lithosphere
The study of Earth's magnetic field in the geologic past is called .
paleomagnetism
The seafloor magnetic pattern is best described as:
parallel to and symmetric about mid-ocean ridges.
Fossils of ancient tropical plants are currently found near the poles because the:
plants lived in the tropics, but landmasses have drifted to current locations.