15 Questions
What is the theory that the surface of the earth is broken into larger pieces of crust called plates that ride along on a softer layer of the earth known as?
Plate tectonics
How thick can continental plates be?
Up to 150 km
What is the upper part of the mantle called, on which the crustal plates ride?
Asthenosphere
What type of boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other?
Divergent boundary
Which theory proposed the idea of drifting continents before plate tectonics was established?
Continental drift
What do geologists study?
The earth's structure and processes
What caused the mystery of drifting continents to be solved in the middle of the 20th century?
The proposal of plate tectonics theory
What is the main theory of plate movement?
The movement is caused by convection cells in the mantle driven by heat from the core.
What are the three main layers of the earth, as described in the text?
Peel, fruit, core
What causes the rock in the mantle to move according to geologists?
Heat from the core creates convection currents in the mantle.
What happens at converging boundaries?
One plate slides under another and is forced back into the mantle.
What causes ridge push according to the text?
Gravity causes higher plates at spreading centers to flow downhill and flatten out to the ocean floor.
What is thought to be the main source of heat driving plate movement?
Radioactive decay of elements such as uranium in the core.
How are convection currents in the mantle described in relation to a pot of boiling water?
Hotter rock near the mantle rises toward the crust while cooler rock sinks back down toward the core, forming convection currents.
What causes oceanic crust to be forced under another plate at converging boundaries?
Gravity pulling on denser oceanic crust causes it to sink beneath another plate and back into the mantle.
Test your knowledge of plate tectonics with this quiz. Explore the concepts of continental drift, tectonic plates, and their movements.
Make Your Own Quizzes and Flashcards
Convert your notes into interactive study material.
Get started for free
