Download Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift

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Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift Study Guide
1. Label A, B, C, & D on the diagram above. A= Lithosphere B= Asthenosphere C= Outer Core D=
Inner Core
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2. Fossils of Lystrosaurus, an early land-dwelling reptile, have been found in Antarctica, India, and
South Africa. The distribution of these fossils suggests that these areas were once connected or joined
together .
3. Because of the enormous pressure, the inner core is a solid ball of iron.
4. Which ocean was produced by sea floor spreading between Africa and South America? Atlantic
5. As you move from the surface of Earth to the inner core, what happens to the temperature? The
temperature increases with depth.
____ 6. The lithosphere consists of two parts, which are the crust and the upper mantle.
____ 7. As distance increases from a mid-ocean ridge, the rocks are older.
Where is the youngest oceanic crust located? At the mid ocean ridges, where the two plates move
a
apart, or diverge.
____ 8. Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur along or near the edges of the Earth's plate boundaries.
____ 9. Oceanic crust is composed mainly of which type of rock? BASALT Continental Crust is composed of
GRANITE.
____ 10.The ancient continent that contained all the landmasses is called Pangaea.
____ 11. A convection current of magma can be describes in terms of density as hot, less dense magma
rising, and cool, more dense magma sinking.
____ 12. Continental crust is primarily composed of which rock? Granite
____ 13. Oceanic crust is thinner but more dense than continental crust.
____ 14. As you move from the surface of Earth to the inner core, what happens to the density of the
materials of each layer? The density increases with depth.
____ 15. The type of tectonic plate boundary involving a collision between two tectonic plates is called
convergent boundary.
____ 16. Draw and describe what happens in a subduction zone between two tectonic plates? What type of
boundary is it?
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17. Mid-ocean ridges are associated with divergent boundaries.
18. What appears to cause movement of lithospheric plates? Convection currents in the asthenosphere
19. The soft layer of the mantle on which pieces of the lithosphere move is called the asthenosphere.
20. When two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally, the boundary between them is
called a transform boundary.
____ 21. What is used as evidence to support the theory of continental drift? (List at least four)
Fossils
Continents fit like puzzle pieces
Diamond Mines/Coal Beds
Glacier cuts in layers of rocks
Name that Boundary!!
Convergent creates mountain ranges
Transform severe earthquakes
Convergent subduction
Convergent volcanoes
Divergent sea floor spreading
Convergent lithospheric plates collide
Divergent lithospheric plates move apart
Transform lithospheric plates slide past one another
23. At any tectonic plate movement, what can occur? Earthquakes
24. Do tectonic plates constantly move? Circle YES or NO
25. Earthquakes are common in California, why? Because California sits where two lithospheric plates slide
past one another, a transform boundary. The Fault is called the San Andres Fault.
26. What type of clues do fossils reveal about Earth’s past? Climate Changes and Surface Changes
27. What is climate? The average weather conditions over a long period of time.
28. Give an example of a change on Earth’s surface.
South Georgia used to be on the ocean floor, and shark tooth fossils can be found in our back yards.
29. Is new lithospheric plate added or created? If so, where? Yes, at divergent boundaries, at the mid ocean
ridge.
30. What is the relationship between the age of oceanic crust and the distance from the mid-ocean ridges?
The farther from the mid-ocean ridge, the older the rock.
31. Where do most earthquakes and volcanoes occur? Where two plates meet, the boundary.