Name __________________ Date ______________________ Plate Tectonics 30 SOL Practice Questions

Which of the following major earthquakes did not occur at a boundary between tectonic plates?

South Carolina (U.S.A.) 1886

Messina (southern Italy) 1908

Chillan (Chile) 1939

San Francisco (U.S.A.) 1906

What is the fewest number of seismographic stations that must record the arrival time of P and S waves in order for the epicenter of an earthquake to be located?

10

3

2

5

Which geologic event occurred first?Iceland formed at the mid-Atlantic ridge.

Pangaea underwent formation.

India collided with Asia, forming the Himalayan Mountains.

South America and Africa split apart.

Even though the Earth's inner core is hotter than the liquid outer core, it is still solid because -

there is more water in the outer core and it dilutes the materials

the pressure from all of Earth's layers keeps it in a solid state

the heat rising from the inner core is melting the outer core

the outer core is farther from the center, and there is less gravityholding it together

All of the following features of the ocean indicate tectonic activity except -seamounts

abyssal plains

mid-ocean ridges

trenches

The point from which an earthquake originates is called the - epicenter

focus

shock wave

fault line

Which of the landforms is most likely to result when two continents collide?

What does Pangaea mean?

It is the name of an ancient supercontinent.

It is the name of an extinct volcano.

It is the French word for volcano.

It is a huge disruption of the Earth's atmospheric circulation.

What is usually responsible for an earthquake?

Force changes from the moon pulling on Earth

Slippage along faults within Earth's crust

Pressure buildup within the mantle

Weathering along coastlines

Scientists use volcanoes and earthquake activity to establish -lines of latitude

plate boundaries

the density of rock layers

borders between countries

Each dot on the above diagram marks the origin of an earthquake. The area with the highest concentration of earthquake origins marks -

the location of a developing igneous intrusion

a line of Earth's magnetic field

a seam of soft rock, such as limestone

the path of the subducting tectonic plate

Seismic waves generated by an earthquake at point R are recorded at locations W and X. Which pair of seismographs is more accurate?

The Earth's mantle is made up of very hot material that rises to the top of the mantle, cools, then sinks, reheats, and rises again, constantly repeating the cycle. This action, which causes the Earth's crust to move, is known as -

hot spots

advection forces

convection currents

magnetic fields

The sketch above shows a seismogram, which is a record of the primary waves and secondary waves emitted by an earthquake. Primary waves and secondary waves are generated at the same time, but primary waves are recorded first because they -

travel faster

do not travel through water

are smaller

travel a shorter route

The edges of moving crustal plates are often defined by -intercontinental plains

ocean basins

frequent seismic activity

Earth's largest rivers

One part of California is on the Pacific Plate, while the remainder of the state is on the North American Plate. The two plates are moving to the northwest at different speeds, causing one plate to slide past the other. This movement in plates creates a -

strike-slip fault

normal fault

thrust fault

reverse fault

Which of the following is not considered a result of the movement of tectonic plates?

Earthquakes

Karst topography

Mountain ranges

Increased volcanic activity

The diagram shown illustrates which geological process?Folding

Faulting

Metamorphism

Weathering

As landmasses drifted over the Earth from 180 million years ago to the present day, one significant change that occurred was the -

increase in overall landmass size

decrease in the number of mid-ocean ridges

increase in the number of trenches

decrease in the number of transverse faults

All of the following supports the theory of continental drift except that -there are similar fossils on different continents

the continents seem to fit together like pieces of a puzzle

mountain ranges in South America and Africa line up

the North Pole and Antarctica are covered with ice

When the sea floor spreads apart, volcanoes and ridges are formed because -sediments are deposited where the floorspreads, building ridges

as the plates pull apart, magma moves tothe surface, building ridges

ocean water pushes down on the surroundingsea floor, pushing up ridges

underwater earthquakes lift the sea floor intolong ridges

The formations at X and Y in the picture above were created by -tension

rifting

shearing

compression

The mountain shown is composed of deformed sedimentary layers. They are located near a tectonic plate boundary and are still increasing in elevation due to -

transform faulting of a tectonic plate

seafloor spreading of tectonic plates

colliding tectonic plates

subduction of a tectonic plate

How should the earthquake damage in the picture be ranked according to the

modified Mercalli Intensity Scale?V

VII

IX

XI

An earthquake struck San Diego, California. The above map and table show that the approximate difference in arrival times between the P-wave and S-wave at Seattle is -

2 minutes

3 minutes

4 minutes

5 minutes

The diagram above is similar to one drawn by Antonio Snider-Pelligrini in 1858. What data was he trying to explain with this diagram?

The distance between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres

The reason for similar fossils in Africa and South America

The presence of earthquakes on different continents

The variations in depths of the Atlantic Ocean

Which provides the best evidence for the theory that faults and volcanoes are results of tectonic plate interactions?

Faults on tectonic plates are in constant motion,but volcanoes may not erupt for many years.

Faults and volcanoes existed long before therewere tectonic plates.

Tectonic plates that have many faults do not usuallyhave volcanoes.

Faults and volcanoes are often found at tectonicplate boundaries.

The folding and faulting found in the rocks of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia were created by -

collisions of continental plates

wave action of prehistoric ocean

the Coriolis effect

heating and cooling of the prehistoric atmosphere

Identical rock types, identical fossils, and very similar mountain ranges are found on different continents that are separated by a wide ocean. Which of these best explains these observations?Organisms traveled between thesecontinents on land bridges.

The same forces erode mountains indifferent locations.

These continents were joined togetherat one time in the past.

Some rock types are very common andare found everywhere.

The Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean is 36,160 feet below sea level. This deep oceanic trench is caused by -

swift ocean currents eroding away the ocean floor

the collapse of an empty magma chamber in a large volcano

excessive boat traffic disrupting the normal sedimentation process

two tectonic plates colliding and one plunging below the other