1. What is the name of the Mesozoic supercontinent that consisted of all of the present continents?

a. Eurasia b. Laurasia c. Pangaea d. Gondwanaland

2. When did the supercontinent Pangaea begin to break apart?

a. about 10,000 years ago c. about 10 million years ago

b. about 200 million years ago d. about 570 million years ago

What age are the fossils of the reptile Mesosaurus found in Africa and South America that suggested
that the two continents were once together?

early Cenozoic

late Mesozoic

early Mesozoic

late Paleozoic

Approximately how many lithospheric plates are there?

about 3

about 6

about 12

about 24

Which plate is being subducted beneath western South America?

the Pacific plate

the South American plate

the Nazca plate

the South Atlantic plate

How old are the oldest oceanic crustal basalts?

about 20 million years old

about 4.0 billion years old

about 200 million years old

about 570 million years old

New oceanic lithosphere forms at __________ .

divergent plate boundaries

convergent plate boundaries

transform plate boundaries

all of these are possible

Which of the following is not a divergent plate boundary?

the Great Rift Valley of East Africa

the East Pacific Rise

the San Andreas fault

the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Partial melting and the production of magma takes place at ________ .

divergent plate boundaries

ocean-ocean convergent plate boundaries

ocean-continent plate boundaries

all of these

At what type of plate boundary do shallow-focus earthquakes occur?

convergent

divergent

transform

all of these

The Hawaiian Islands formed at a _________ .

convergent boundary

divergent boundary

transform boundary

none of these

Which of the following are not associated with convergent plate margins?

deep-focus earthquakes

rift valleys

island arcs

deep-sea trenches

The North American plate is bounded by _________ plate boundaries

convergent

divergent

transform

convergent, divergent, and transform

The east coast of North America represents a _________ .

convergent boundary

divergent boundary

transform boundary

non of these

What are ophiolite suites?

fragments of oceanic lithosphere emplaced on a continent

groups of seafloor magnetic anomalies

wedge-shaped packages of sediments that form at passive margins

micro-continents that have traveled a long distance

Transform faults ___________ .

often offset spreading centers

can cut across continents

involve horizontal movement

all of these

Stretching stresses, basaltic lavas, and shallow earthquakes are associated with ______ .

subduction zones

continent/continent convergence

spreading centers

transform boundaries

Compressive stresses, granitic magmas, and intermediate depth earthquakes are associated with
__________

subduction zones

continent/continent convergence

spreading centers

transform boundaries

Shearing stresses and shallow earthquakes are associated with:

subduction zones

continent/continent convergence

spreading centers

transform boundaries

If the Atlantic Ocean is widening at a rate of 3 cm per year how far (in kilometers) will it spread in a
million years?

300 kilometers

30 kilometers

30 miles

3 kilometers

In 50 million years?

150 kilometers

1000 kilometers

1500 kilometers

30 kilometers

At convergent plate boundaries where oceanic and continental crust meet _________ .

no associated volcanism occurs

oceanic crust is subducted

continental crust is subducted

oceanic crust is created

One remarkable realization associated with the discovery of seafloor spreading was that
_____________ .

the crust of the continents is more dense than the crust of the ocean

the crust of the oceans is very young relative to the age of the crust of the continents

mountains are more dense than then mantle

the rotational poles of the Earth have migrated.

Which segment of the Atlantic Ocean opened first?

northern

southern

central

it all opened at the same time

If the Pacific plate and the North American plate continue to move in the same sense, Los Angeles and
San Francisco will eventually lie at the same latitude
True

False

I once saw a bumper sticker that said "Reunite Gondwanaland". Which of the following would not be
part of this reconstruction?

Antacrtica

Australia

India south of the Himayala

North America

Loihi excites geologists because it represents a:

new instrument for detecting volcanic gasses

new instrument for detecting lava composition

satellite than can monitor worldwide volcanic activity

a new volcano that is the youngest in the Hawaiian Island chain.

Which of the following is not a chain of volcanic islands associated with ocean-ocean convergence?

the Aleutian Islands

the Hawaiian Islands

the Mariana Islands

the Philippine Islands

Volcanic island arcs are associated with __________ .

transform plate boundaries

divergent plate boundaries

ocean-ocean convergent plate boundaries

ocean-continent convergent plate boundaries

Melange deposits are associated with ______ .

divergent boundaries

subduction margins

transform boundaries

all of these

Which of the following mountains did not form as a result of collision between two continents?

Appalachians

Urals

Andes

Himalayas
Crustal blocks that occur within orogenic belts whose rocks and structures contrast sharply with
adjacent provinces are called ________ .

ophiolites

sutures

microplates

island arcs

Which of the following increases with distance from a mid-ocean ridge?

the age of oceanic lithosphere

the depth to the sea floor

the thickness of the lithosphere

all of the above

The cross section above depicts magnetized oceanic crust at a spreading center. The "+" symbol
indicates normal magnetic bands and the "-" symbol indicates reversed magnetic bands.

How many reversals of the Earth's magnetic field are depicted in the diagram?

How fast are C and D spreading apart from each other?

about 2 centimeters per year

about 5 centimeters per year

about 10 centimeters per year

about 100 centimeters per year

Lines on the seafloor that connect rocks of the same age are called _________.

isograds

isotopes

isochrons

isostasy

The east coast of North America represents a ___________.

convergent plate boundary

divergent plate boundary

a transform plate boundary

the east coast of North America is not a plate boundary

What are ophiolite suites?

fragments of oceanic lithosphere emplaced on a continent

groups of seafloor magnetic anomalies

wedge-shaped packages of sediment that form at passive margins

micro-continents that have traveled a long distance

The diagram above represents an ophiolite suite

Which of the following rock types would you least expect to find in layer 1?

chert

limestone

sandstone

shale

What type of rocks make up layer 2

basalt

gabbro

granite

ultramafics

What type of rocks make up layer 3

basalt

gabbro

granite

ultramafics

Where is the Moho in this diagram?

between layers 1 and 2

between layers 2 and 3

between layer 3 and the ultramafic rocks

beneath the ultramafics

Which two layers have the same chemical composition?

layers 1 and 2
layers 1 and 3

layers 2 and 3

layer 3 and the ultramafics

How wide are the crystal mush zones (magma chambers) beneath mid-ocean ridges?

1 kilometer

10 kilometers

100 kilometers

500 kilometers

Sedimentary rocks laid down in a slowly subsiding basin along a receding continental margin are
called __________.

continental shelf deposits

ophiolite suites

melange deposits

fluvial deposits

Volcanic island arcs are associated with _________.

transform plate boundaries

divergent plate boundaries

ocean-ocean convergent plate boundaries

ocean-continent convergent plate boundaries

What is the topographic feature at A called

oceanic basin

oceanic rift

spreading center

oceanic trench

Feature B, called a __________, consists of chaotically mixed and deformed rocks.

forearc basin

melange

suture

turbidite
What type of metamorphism occurs in region B?

high temperature, low pressure

low temperature, high pressure

high temperature, high pressure

low temperature, low pressure

Which of the following locations could be represented by this diagram??

east coast of Africa

east coast of South America

west coast of South America

east coast of North America