13 Questions
What did Alfred Wegener call the phenomenon of continents moving apart?
Continental drift
What did Wegener use to support his hypothesis of continental drift?
Matching mountain ranges and coal fields
What is the driving force behind the motion of tectonic plates according to the theory of plate tectonics?
Forces in the mantle
What geological feature is formed through hot-spot activity?
Volcanoes
Where do most earthquakes occur?
Along tectonic plate boundaries
What is a mantle plume?
A column of very hot mantle rock
What creates stress from plate movements?
Tectonic plates
What geological evidence supports the theory of seafloor spreading?
Magnetic stripes and rock ages on the seafloor
How are divergent boundaries primarily characterized on land?
By the occurrence of rift valleys
What is the driving force behind the motion of tectonic plates at convergent boundaries?
Slab pull caused by subduction
What did Wegener propose, and who later supported it?
Continental drift; Hess
What geological features are associated with divergent boundaries?
Mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys
What causes earthquakes like the San Andreas Fault?
Transform boundaries
Study Notes
Understanding Tectonic Plate Movement
- Lystrosaurus fossils found in Africa and Antarctica, suggesting the continents were once connected
- Wegener proposed continental drift but failed to convince scientists; Hess later supported it
- Seafloor spreading explained by molten material intruding at mid-ocean ridges
- Eruptions, magnetic stripes, and rock ages support seafloor spreading
- Earth's poles have reversed multiple times, recorded in seafloor rocks
- Plate movement explained by mantle convection, ridge push, and slab pull
- Plates move in three ways: divergent, convergent, or transform boundaries
- Divergent boundaries occur along mid-ocean ridges and on land as rift valleys
- Convergent boundaries result in continent-continent collisions, mountain formation
- Transform boundaries, like the San Andreas Fault, cause earthquakes
- Plate movement causes volcanic activity, earthquakes, mountain building
- All continents were once part of Pangaea, which slowly broke apart to form present continents
Test your knowledge of tectonic plate movement with this quiz. Explore how Lystrosaurus fossils, continental drift, seafloor spreading, and plate movement mechanisms contribute to our understanding of Earth's dynamic processes.
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