Download Plate Tectonics – Study Guide

Plate Tectonics – Study Guide
Name: _________________________
Date: ______________ Pd: __________
1. A_____ W______ found evidence of continental drift. When he proposed this theory at
first he could not identify the force that would move tectonic plates; other _____ did
not accept his theory because he could not explain what could move such large plates.
Later scientists linked the idea of c________ c________ in the Earth to the motion of
the continents.
2. Convection currents inside the Earth happen when hot, plastic-like rock _____, move along
the top of the asthenosphere, _____, and then drop back deeper into the asthenosphere.
3. A ______ plant fossil found in a currently polar region is evidence that the _____ region
was once tropical.
4. Identical fossils of species found on different continents may indicate those __________
were once joined.
5.
Match the theory with the correct description:
THEORY
Continental Drift
DESCRIPTION
Earth’s asthenosphere moves in a current as the mantle
is heated (& rises) and cools (& falls).
Plate Tectonics
Continents have moved slowly to their current positions.
Convection Currents
Earth’s lithosphere is divided into many ‘plates.’
6. Matching rock structures, like __________, on several continents supports the theory of
continental drift.
7. _________, the super continent, was the once single land mass that split and drifted into
several continents according to Alfred Wegner.
8. Which is more dense? Circle the one that has a greater density:
a. Continental plate / Oceanic plate
b. Cool magma (asthenosphere) / Hot magma (asthenosphere)
c. Oceanic plate that is older / Oceanic plate that is newer
9. _________ zones can produce volcanoes. C_______ boundaries of oceanic and continental
plates OR oceanic and _________ plates can produce these Subduction zones.
10. Rocks closest to the mid-ocean ridge are oldest/youngest while rocks farthest from the
mid-ocean ridge are oldest/youngest.
11. Do the math! (1km = 100,000 cm) You may use a calculator, but SHOW YOUR WORK:
a. The sea floor is spreading at a rate of 5 cm per year. The sea is 8,000 km wide.
How many years ago did the sea begin to form?
b. An ocean is 140,000,000 years old. The sea floor has spread at a rate of 5 cm
per year. How wide is the sea now?
12. Sea-floor spreading (d_______ boundary beneath the sea) makes new o_____ lithosphere;
lithosphere is destroyed at __________ zones.
Your plate tectonics test is your exam. For ____ period your exam will be ____ . This Study Guide is due ____ .
Use this and the questions from my Flexbook in the course to prepare for your exam!