___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 200 million years ago
b. about 10 million years ago d. about 570 million years ago
___ 3. What two scientists proposed the theory of seafloor spreading in he early 1960s?
a. Charles Darwin and James Hutton  c. John Butler and Arthur Smite
b. Harry Hess and Robert Dietz d. F. Vine and D. Mathews
___ 4. The theory of plate tectonics was widely accepted by__________ .
a. the end of the 19th century  c. about 1960
b. about 1950 d. about 1970
___ 5. What age are the fossils of the reptile Mesosaurus found in Africa and South America that suggested that the
two
continents were once together?
a. early Cenozoic  b. late Mesozoic c. early Mesozoic d. late
Paleozoic
___ 6. Approximately how many lithospheric plates are there?
a. About 3 b. about 6 c. about 12 d. about 24
___ 7. Which plate is being subducted beneath western South America?
a. the Pacific plate c. the Nazca plate
b. the South American plate d. the South Atlantic plate
___ 8. How old are the oldest oceanic crustal basalts?
a. about 20 million years old c. about 200 million years old
b. about 4.0 billion years old d. about 570 million years old
___ 9. New oceanic lithosphere forms at __________ .
a. divergent plate boundaries c. transform plate boundaries
b. convergent plate boundaries d. all of these are possible
___10. Which of the following is not a divergent plate boundary?
a. the Great Rift Valley of East Africa c. the San Andreas fault
b. the East Pacific Rise d. the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
___11. Partial melting and the production of magma takes place at ________ .
a. divergent plate boundaries c. ocean-continent plate boundaries
b. ocean-ocean convergent plate boundaries d. all of these
___12. At what type of plate boundary do shallow-focus earthquakes occur?
a. convergent b. divergent c. transform d. all of these
___13. The Hawaiian Islands formed at a _________ .
a. convergent boundary c. transform boundary
b. divergent boundary d. none of these
___ 14. Which of the following are not associated with convergent plate margins?
a. deep-focus earthquakes c. island arcs
b. rift valleys d. deep-sea trenches
___15. The North American plate is bounded by _________ plate boundaries
a. convergent b. divergent c. transform d. a, b, c
___ 16. The east coast of North America represents a _________ .
a. convergent boundary c. transform boundary
b. divergent boundary d. none of these
___ 18. Transform faults ___________ .
a. often offset spreading centers c. involve horizontal movement
b. can cut across continents d. all of these
___ 19. Stretching stresses, basaltic lavas, and shallow earthquakes are associated with ______ .
a. subduction zones  c. spreading centers
b. continent/continent convergence d. transform boundaries
___ 20. Compressive stresses, granitic magmas, and intermediate depth earthquakes are associated with
__________
a. subduction zones  c. spreading centers
b. continent/continent convergence d. transform boundaries
___ 21. Shearing stresses and shallow earthquakes are associated with:
a. subduction zones  c. spreading centers
b. continent/continent convergence d. transform boundaries
___ 22. 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?
a. 300 kilometers b. 30 kilometers c. 30 miles d. 3 kilometers
___ 23. In 50 million years?
a. 150 kilometers b. 1000 kilometers c. 1500 kilometers d. 30
kilometers
___ 24. At convergent plate boundaries where oceanic and continental crust meet _________ .
a. no associated volcanism occurs c. continental crust is subducted
b. oceanic crust is subducted d. oceanic crust is created
___ 25. One remarkable realization associated with the discovery of seafloor spreading was that _____________ .
a. the crust of the continents is more dense than the crust of the ocean
b. the crust of the oceans is very young relative to the age of the crust of the continents
 c. mountains are more dense than then mantle
d. the rotational poles of the Earth have migrated.
___ 26. Which segment of the Atlantic Ocean opened first?
a. Northern b. southern c. central d. it all opened at the
same time
___ 27. 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 a. True or b. False
___ 28. I once saw a bumper sticker that said "Reunite Gondwanaland". Which of the following would not be part of
this reconstruction?
a. Antacrtica b. Australia c. India south of the Himayala d. North
America
___ 29. Loihi excites geologists because it represents a:
a. new instrument for detecting volcanic gasses
b. new instrument for detecting lava composition
c. satellite than can monitor worldwide volcanic activity
d. a new volcano that is the youngest in the Hawaiian Island chain.
___ 30. Which of the following is not a chain of volcanic islands associated with ocean-ocean convergence?
a. the Aleutian Islands  c. the Mariana Islands
b. the Hawaiian Islands d. the Philippine Islands
___ 31. Volcanic island arcs are associated with __________ .
a. transform plate boundaries  c. ocean-ocean convergent plate boundaries
b. divergent plate boundaries d. ocean-continent convergent plate boundaries
___ 32. Melange deposits are associated with ______ .
a. divergent boundaries c. transform boundaries
b. subduction margins d. all of these
___ 33. Which of the following mountains did not form as a result of collision between two continents?
a. Appalachians b. Urals c. Andes d. Himalayas
___ 34. Crustal blocks that occur within orogenic belts whose rocks and structures contrast sharply with adjacent
provinces are called ________ .
a. Ophiolites b. sutures c. microplates d. island arcs
___ 35. Which of the following increases with distance from a mid-ocean ridge?
a. the age of oceanic lithosphere c. the thickness of the lithosphere
b. the depth to the sea floor d. 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.
___ 36. How many reversals of the Earth's magnetic field are
depicted in the diagram?
a. 3 b. 4 c. 6 d. 7
___ 37. How fast are C and D spreading apart from each other?
a. about 2 centimeters per year  c. about 10 centimeters per year 
b. about 5 centimeters per year  d. about 100 centimeters per year 
___ 38. Lines on the seafloor that connect rocks of the same age are called _________.
a. Isograds b. isotopes c. isochrons d. isostasy
___ 39. The east coast of North America represents a ___________.
a. convergent plate boundary  c. a transform plate boundary
b. divergent plate boundary d. the east coast of North America is not a plate
boundary
The diagram on the left side represents an ophiolite suite.
___ 40. Which of the following rock types would you least expect to find in layer 1?
a. chert  b. limestone c. sandstone d. shale
___ 41. What type of rocks make up layer 2.
a. basalt b. gabbro c. granite d. ultramafics
___ 42. What type of rocks make up layer 3.
a. basalt b. gabbro c. granite d. ultramafics
___ 43. Where is the Moho in this diagram?
a. between layers 1 and 2  c. between layer 3 and the ultramafic rocks
b. between layers 2 and 3 d. beneath the ultramafics
___ 44. Which two layers have the same chemical composition?
a. layers 1 and 2 c. layers 2 and 3
b. layers 1 and 3 d. layer 3 and the ultramafics
___ 45. How wide are the crystal mush zones (magma chambers) beneath mid-ocean ridges?
a. 1 kilometer b. 10 kilometer c. 100 kilometer d. 500 kilometer
___ 46. Sedimentary rocks laid down in a slowly subsiding basin along a receding continental margin are called
__________.
a. continental shelf deposits  c. melange deposits
b. ophiolite suites d. fluvial deposits
___47. What is the topographic feature at A called
a. oceanic basin b. oceanic rift c. spreading center d. oceanic trench

___ 48. Feature B, called a __________, consists of

chaotically mixed and deformed rocks.
a. forearc basin b. mélange c. suture d. turbidite
___ 49. What type of metamorphism occurs in region B?
a. high temperature, low pressure c. high temperature, high pressure
 b. low temperature, high pressure d. low temperature, low pressure
___50. Which of the following locations could be represented by this diagram??
a. east coast of Africa c. west coast of South America
b. east coast of South America d. east coast of North America

Alternate Response Type: Encircle A if the statement is true and B if otherwise.

A B 1. The Himalaya Mountains are an example of convergent continental plates interacting.

A B 2. The Aleutian Islands is an example of divergent oceanic plates interacting.
A B 3. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of divergent oceanic plates interacting.
A B 4. The Andes Mountains are an example of Continental and oceanic convergent plates interacting.
A B 5. The African Rift Valley is an example of continental divergent plates interacting.
A B 6. The San Andreas fault is an example of continental and oceanic plates interacting at a transform boundary.
A B 7. The Mexican Molokai zone is an example of oceanic convergent plates interacting.
A B 8. When two continental plates meet at a convergent boundary, mountains are likely to form.
A B 9. Where two oceanic plates meet at a convergent boundary, the new plate goes under the old plate.
A B 10. Where a continental and oceanic plate meet at a convergent boundary, magma forms, rises and volcanoes are created.
A B 11. When two continental plates meet at a divergent boundary, a rift valley forms possibly creating new ocean.
A B 12. When two oceanic plates meet at a divergent boundary, the old plate goes under the new plate and is destroyed.
A B 13. When two continental plates meet at a transform fault, the plates fracture and tumble upwards.
A B 14. When two oceanic plates meet at a transform fault, it likely happens on the sea-floor and a zig zag pattern is formed in
the rocks.
A B 15. Transform boundary means two crust plates move slowly towards each other.
A B 16. Convergent boundary means that two crust plates move slowly towards each other.
A B 17. Divergent boundary means that two crust plates more slowly towards each other.
A B 18. The earth's plates are pieces of the earth's asthenosphere floating around on the earth's mantle.
A B 19. Large vertical movement of the earth's crust can occur at plate boundaries.
A B 20. Convection currents can happen in the mantle because of the elasticity of the magma.
Use the figure above to answer the item below. Write the letter that describes each word. If
A, B, or C do NOT
describe the word, put D.
_____ 21.

Convergent Boundary
_____ 22. Divergent Boundary
_____ 23.Transform Boundary
_____ 24. Subduction
_____ 25. Mid-Ocean Ridge
_____ 26. Volcanoes
_____ 27. Rift Valley
_____ 28. Deep Ocean Trench
_____ 29. Sea-Floor Spreading
30. What happens when two oceanic plates separate?
_______________________________________________
31. What happens when an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
______________________
32. What feature of the ocean floor is shown at A?
_____________________________________________________

b____ 15. The East African Rift is an example of a ____.

a. mid-ocean ridge c. convergent boundary
 b. divergent boundary d. transform boundary
b____ 16. The Himalayan mountain range of India was formed at a ____.
a. divergent boundary c. hot spot
b. convergent boundary d. transform boundary
b____ 17. ____ are formed when two continental plates collide.
a. Volcanoes c. Trenches
b. Mountain ranges d. Rift valleys
b____ 18. The ____ is (are) an example of a transform boundary.
a. Appalachian Mountains c. Mid-Atlantic Ridge
b. San Andreas Fault d. Himalayas

a____ 19. What type of plate boundary occurs between the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate, shown in
the figure above?
a. divergent boundary
b. transform boundary
c. convergent oceanic-continental plate boundary
d. convergent oceanic-oceanic plate boundary
a____ 20. What type of plate boundary occurs between the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate, shown in the
figure above?
a. convergent oceanic-continental plate boundary
b. convergent oceanic-oceanic plate boundary
c. convergent continental-continental plate boundary
d. transform boundary
c____ 21. The youngest part of the ocean floor is found ____.
a. along deep sea trenches
b. where ocean sediments are thickest
c. near ocean ridges
d. where Earth’s magnetic field changes polarity
c____ 22. At an oceanic-oceanic convergent plate boundary, ____.
a. new crust is created c. the older crust is recycled by subduction
b. the crust separates d. plates side past one another
a____ 23. The downward part of a convection current causes a sinking force that ____.
a. pulls tectonic plates toward one another
b. moves plates apart from one another
c. lifts and splits the lithosphere
d. creates a divergent boundary
a____ 24. Features found at divergent plate boundaries include ____.
a. mid-ocean ridges c. crumpled mountains
b. deep-sea trenches d. island arc volcanoes
d____ 25. Crust is neither destroyed nor formed along which of the following boundaries?
a. convergent c. magnetic
b. divergent d. transform
d____ 26. The driving forces of tectonic plates are related to convection currents in Earth’s ____.
a. crust c. inner core
b. outer core d. mantle
____ 8. The type of tectonic plate boundary involving a collision between two tectonic plates is
a. divergent. B. transform. c. convergent. D. normal.
____ 9. The type of tectonic plate boundary that sometimes has a subduction zone is
a. divergent. c. convergent.
b. transform. d. normal.
____ 10. The San Andreas fault is an example of a
a. divergent boundary. c. convergent boundary.
b. transform boundary. d. normal boundary.
____ 12. The type of fault in which the hanging wall moves down relative to the footwall is called
a. strike-slip. c. normal.
b. reverse. d. fault block.
____ 14. Continental mountain ranges are usually associated with
a. divergent boundaries. c. convergent boundaries.
b. transform boundaries. d. normal boundaries.
____ 15. Mid-ocean ridges are associated with
a. divergent boundaries. c. convergent boundaries.
b. transform boundaries. d. normal boundaries.
____ 20. Which layer of the Earth is made up of tectonic plates?
a. core c. asthenosphere
b. mesosphere d. lithosphere
____ 21. Which of the following appears to cause movement of Earth's tectonic plates?
a. convection currents below the lithosphere
b. energy from volcanic activity
c. magnetic-pole reversals
d. faults in mountain ranges
____ 38. The ____ is divided into tectonic plates.
a. mesosphere c. lithosphere
b. asthenosphere d. outer core
____ 39. Which of the following is NOT a major tectonic plate?
a. Caribbean plate c. Eurasian plate
b. Antarctic plate d. North American plate
____ 40. Which of the major tectonic plates is the smallest?
a. Australian plate c. Antarctic plate
b. Pacific plate d. Cocos plate
____ 41. How many major tectonic plates are there?
a. five c. ten
b. seven d. fourteen
____ 44. The North American plate consists
a. entirely of oceanic crust. c. of both continental and oceanic crust.
b. entirely of continental crust. d. None of the above
____ 48. Wegener's continental drift theory suggests that at 245 million years a single landmass was surrounded by a sea called
a. Pangaea. c. Laurasia.
b. Gondwana. d. Panthalassa.
____ 49. Wegener's continental drift theory suggests that at 180 million years a single landmass gradually broke into two big pieces called
a. Pangaea and Panthalassa. c. Laurasia and Eurasia.
b. Gondwana and Laurasia. d. Panthalassa and Eurasia.

____ 54. When two tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally, the boundary between them is called a
a. divergent boundary. c. convergent boundary.
b. transform boundary. d. subduction zone.
____ 55. When two tectonic plates move away from one another, the boundary between them is called a
a. divergent boundary. c. convergent boundary.
b. transform boundary. d. subduction zone.

____ 56. The San Andreas Fault in California is a part of the boundary between the
a. Cocos plate and the Nazca plate.
b. North American plate and the South American plate.
c. Pacific plate and the Cocos plate.
d. Pacific plate and the North American plate.

____ 60. A type of fault in which the hanging wall moves up relative to the footwall is called a
a. strike-slip fault. c. normal fault.
b. reverse fault. d. fault block.

____ 61. The type of fault that often results when rocks are pulled apart due to tension is called a
a. strike-slip fault. c. normal fault.
b. reverse fault. d. fault block.

____ 62. The type of fault that often results when rocks are pushed together by compression is called a
a. strike-slip fault. c. normal fault.
b. reverse fault. d. fault block.

____ 63. A ____ fault often results when opposing forces cause rock to break and move horizontally.
a. strike-slip c. normal
b. reverse d. block

____ 64. The Mariana trench is the deepest point in the oceans—11,033 m below sea level. This trench was formed at a ____ boundary,
where one tectonic plate was subducted beneath the other.
a. divergent c. convergent
b. transform d. strike-slip

32. At divergent plate boundaries, the forces operating are

A. compressional.
B. tensional.
C. lateral shearing (transform).
D. thrusting.
E. normal.
33. The forces operating at continent-continent convergent plate boundaries are
A. tensional.
B. extensional.
C. lateral shearing (transform).
D. compressional.
E. compressional and tensional.

34. A transform plate boundary may connect

A. a spreading ridge and subduction zone.
 B. two spreading ridges.
C. two subduction zones.
D. A and C
E. all of the above

35. The age and distribution of the Hawaiian Islands - Emperor Seamount chain show that the absolute motion of the
Pacific Plate from the past to the present was
A. first north-northwesterly, then west-northwesterly.
B. first south-southeasterly, then east-southeasterly.
C. first north-northeasterly, then west-northeasterly.
D. first south-southwesterly, then west-southwesterly.
E. first north-northwesterly, then south-southeasterly.

36. An acceptable hypothesis concerning the driving mechanism of plate tectonics must explain
A. past plate configurations and movement
B. present plate configurations and movement
C. future plate configurations and movement
D. B and C
E. all of the above

37. The currently accepted hypothesis for the driving mechanism of plate tectonics is based on
A. density differences between oceanic and continental crust
B. the distribution of earthquakes and volcanoes
C. thermal convection cells in the asthenosphere and mantle
D. gravimetric and magnetic anamalies

Alternate Response Type: Encircle A if the statement is true and B if otherwise.

A B 1. The Himalaya Mountains are an example of convergent continental plates interacting.

A B 2. The Aleutian Islands is an example of divergent oceanic plates interacting.
A B 3. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of divergent oceanic plates interacting.
A B 4. The Andes Mountains are an example of Continental and oceanic convergent plates interacting.
A B 5. The African Rift Valley is an example of continental divergent plates interacting.
A B 6. The San Andreas fault is an example of continental and oceanic plates interacting at a transform boundary.
A B 7. The Mexican Molokai zone is an example of oceanic convergent plates interacting.
A B 8. When two continental plates meet at a convergent boundary, mountains are likely to form.
A B 9. Where two oceanic plates meet at a convergent boundary, the new plate goes under the old plate.
A B 10. Where a continental and oceanic plate meet at a convergent boundary, magma forms, rises and volcanoes are created.
A B 11. When two continental plates meet at a divergent boundary, a rift valley forms possibly creating new ocean.
A B 12. When two oceanic plates meet at a divergent boundary, the old plate goes under the new plate and is destroyed.
A B 13. When two continental plates meet at a transform fault, the plates fracture and tumble upwards.
A B 14. When two oceanic plates meet at a transform fault, it likely happens on the sea-floor and a zig zag pattern is formed in
the rocks.
A B 15. Transform boundary means two crust plates move slowly towards each other.
A B 16. Convergent boundary means that two crust plates move slowly towards each other.
A B 17. Divergent boundary means that two crust plates more slowly towards each other.
A B 18. The earth's plates are pieces of the earth's asthenosphere floating around on the earth's mantle.
A B 19. Large vertical movement of the earth's crust can occur at plate boundaries.
A B 20. Convection currents can happen in the mantle because of the elasticity of the magma.

Answer Key
1.B   2.B   3.A   4.A   5.A   6.B   7.B   8.A   9.A   10.B   11.B   12.B   13.B   14.A   15.A   16.A  
17.B   18.B  
19.A   20.B 

Review for Plate Tectonics Test

Name: __________________________________________
H___ 1. Name of theSuper Continent A. Asthenosphere
A___ 2. Earth’s layer of hot, plastic rock B. Lithosphere
E___ 3. When heat moves from a warmer object to a cooler one. C. Continents
__L___4.The transfer of heat through empty space D. Convection Currents
__B___5. Earth’s plates are made of this layer of earth E. Heat Transfer
__A___6. Earth’s plates float on this layer of the mantle F. Mantle
__J___ 7. Clues used to support Wegener’s theory G. Mountains
__K___8. When ocean floor sinks under another plate H. Pangaea
__C___ 9. The______________ were once joined in a huge landmass. I. Plate Tectonics
__N___10. _______________ ideas were rejected because he could not J. Fossils & Shape
Continents
of explain what caused continents to move. K. Subduction
__D___ 11. Plate movement is caused by this in the mantle L. Radiation
__I___ 12. The theory that states plates are in constant motion M. Transform Boundary
__M___ 13. A place where two plates slide by each other N. Wegener
__G___ 14. Landform created from 2 pieces of continental crust colliding

Use the figure above to answer the item below. Write the letter that describes each word. If
A, B, or C do NOT
describe the word,
put D.
__C___ 16.

Convergent Boundary
___A__ 17. Divergent Boundary
__D___ 18.Transform Boundary
___C__ 19. Subduction
_A____ 20. Mid-Ocean Ridge
___C__ 21. Volcanoes
__D___ 22. Rift Valley
___C__ 23. Deep Ocean Trench
___B__ 24. Sea-Floor Spreading
25. What happens when two oceanic plates separate? New seafloor will be added.
26. What happens when an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate?
The more dense oceanic plate will subduct under the less dense continental plate. Volcanoes or deep
ocean trenches can form at this type of boundary
27. How do convection currents in the Earth work?
The hotter, less dense material in the asthenosphere rises and the cooler, more dense material sinks This
pattern of movement causes the plates to move since the tectonics plates are on top of the
asthenosphere.

Use the figure 1 above to answer the following questions.

28. What feature of the ocean floor is shown at A?
Mid-ocean ridge
29.Describe the process shown occurring at B, and explain what results from this.
New sea floor is being added through the process of sea floor spreading. New crust is added to the ocean
floor and is eventually recycled back into the mantle at the deep ocean trench.
30. What happens to old oceanic crust as new molten material rises from the mantle?
It is recycled back into the mantle through the process of subduction. The process of subduction also
plays a role in the new molten material rising from the mantle (see page 132).
31. The arrows on the figure show the ocean floor spreading from the ridge. What are three kinds of
evidence scientists have found to support this idea?
1. Age of the rock from the sea floor
2. Shape of the rock (pillow shaped)
3. Magnetic striping in the rock
32. What process is shown occurring at C, and why does it occur? Subduction. The more dense oceanic
plate subducts beneath the less dense continental plate
33. Where would you expect to find the oldest rock on the ocean floor?
Near a deep ocean trench (point C on the diagram)

Fill in the blank to complete each statement.

34.Scientists use ____Sonar___________________ to map the ocean floor.
35. Thefeature on the ocean floor at C is called a(n) ______deep__ocean trench
__________________.
36.The process that continually adds new material to the ocean floor is called ______sea-floor spreading.
__.
37. The process by which the ocean floor sinks into the mantle is called
____subduction_________________.
38.The chain of mountains that extends into all of Earth’s oceans is the ______mid-ocean
ridge____________.
Essay: Choose one of the landforms below to completely analyze. Each has a letter that matches up with
its corresponding boundary on the map on the next page. Make sure that you:
Identify what type of boundary it is and the movement that is occurring
Identify the plates that the boundary occurs between
What causes this boundary/plate movement
What the effects are at this boundary
Use specific location and names where necessary

1. A piece of former oceanic lithosphere is an: .

2. Approximately how fast is North America separating from Eurasia : ______ cm/year .
3. The Gulf of Mexico is a _________ margin..
4. The age of oceanic lithosphere increases with increasing distance from a .
5. Deep-sea trenches are associated with __________plate boundaries.
6. The Hawaiian Islands are caused by a .
7. The supercontinent Pangaea began to break up during the _________ Era.
8. The Moho lies within the .
9. Typically, the youngest unit is an ophiolite sequence is .
10. Melange deposits are associated with _______________ plate boundaries. .

c___1. What is the name of the Mesozoic supercontinent that consisted of all of the present continents?
b. Eurasia b. Laurasia c. Pangaea d. Gondwanaland
c___ 2. When did the supercontinent Pangaea begin to break apart?
c. about 10,000 years ago  c. about 200 million years ago
d. about 10 million years ago d. about 570 million years ago
b___ 3. What two scientists proposed the theory of seafloor spreading in he early 1960s?
c. Charles Darwin and James Hutton  c. John Butler and Arthur Smite
d. Harry Hess and Robert Dietz d. F. Vine and D. Mathews
d___ 4. The theory of plate tectonics was widely accepted by __________ .
c. the end of the 19th century  c. about 1960
d. about 1950 d. about 1970
d___ 5. What age are the fossils of the reptile Mesosaurus found in Africa and South America
that suggested that the two continents were once together?
b. early Cenozoic  b. late Mesozoic c. early Mesozoic d. late
Paleozoic
c___ 6. Approximately how many lithospheric plates are there?
b. About 3 b. about 6 c. about 12 d. about 24
c___ 7. Which plate is being subducted beneath western South America?
a. the Pacific plate c. the Nazca plate
b. the South American plate d. the South Atlantic plate
c___ 8. How old are the oldest oceanic crustal basalts?
a. about 20 million years old c. about 200 million years old
 b. about 4.0 billion years old d. about 570 million years old
a___ 9. New oceanic lithosphere forms at __________ .
c. divergent plate boundaries c. transform plate boundaries
d. convergent plate boundaries d. all of these are possible
c___10. Which of the following is not a divergent plate boundary?
c. the Great Rift Valley of East Africa c. the San Andreas fault
d. the East Pacific Rise d. the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
d___11. Partial melting and the production of magma takes place at ________ .
c. divergent plate boundaries c. ocean-continent plate boundaries
d. ocean-ocean convergent plate boundaries d. all of these
d___12. At what type of plate boundary do shallow-focus earthquakes occur?
b. convergent b. divergent c. transform d. all of these
d___13. The Hawaiian Islands formed at a _________ .
c. convergent boundary c. transform boundary
d. divergent boundary d. none of these
b___ 14. Which of the following are not associated with convergent plate margins?
c. deep-focus earthquakes c. island arcs
d. rift valleys d. deep-sea trenches
d___15. The North American plate is bounded by _________ plate boundaries
b. convergent b. divergent c. transform d. a, b, c
d___ 16. The east coast of North America represents a _________ .
c. convergent boundary c. transform boundary
d. divergent boundary d. none of these
a___ 17. What are ophiolite suites?
a. fragments of oceanic lithosphere emplaced on a continent 
b. groups of seafloor magnetic anomalies
c. wedge-shaped packages of sediments that form at passive margins
d. micro-continents that have traveled a long distance
d___ 18. Transform faults ___________ .
c. often offset spreading centers c. involve horizontal movement
d. can cut across continents d. all of these
c___ 19. Stretching stresses, basaltic lavas, and shallow earthquakes are associated with ______ .
c. subduction zones  c. spreading centers
d. continent/continent convergence d. transform boundaries
b___ 20. Compressive stresses, granitic magmas, and intermediate depth earthquakes are associated with
__________
c. subduction zones  c. spreading centers
d. continent/continent convergence d. transform boundaries
d___ 21. Shearing stresses and shallow earthquakes are associated with:
c. subduction zones  c. spreading centers
d. continent/continent convergence d. transform boundaries
b___ 22. 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?
b. 300 kilometers b. 30 kilometers c. 30 miles d. 3 kilometers
c___ 23. In 50 million years?
b. 150 kilometers b. 1000 kilometers c. 1500 kilometers d. 30
kilometers
b___ 24. At convergent plate boundaries where oceanic and continental crust meet _________ .
c. no associated volcanism occurs c. continental crust is subducted
d. oceanic crust is subducted d. oceanic crust is created
b___ 25. One remarkable realization associated with the discovery of seafloor spreading was that _____________ .
e. the crust of the continents is more dense than the crust of the ocean
f. the crust of the oceans is very young relative to the age of the crust of the continents
g. mountains are more dense than then mantle
h. the rotational poles of the Earth have migrated.
a___ 26. Which segment of the Atlantic Ocean opened first?
b. Northern b. southern c. central d. it all opened at the
same time
t___ 27. 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 or False
d___ 28. I once saw a bumper sticker that said "Reunite Gondwanaland". Which of the following would not be part of
this reconstruction?
b. Antacrtica b. Australia c. India south of the Himayala d. North
America
d___ 29. Loihi excites geologists because it represents a:
e. new instrument for detecting volcanic gasses
f. new instrument for detecting lava composition
g. satellite than can monitor worldwide volcanic activity
h. a new volcano that is the youngest in the Hawaiian Island chain.
b___ 30. Which of the following is not a chain of volcanic islands associated with ocean-ocean convergence?
b. the Aleutian Islands  c. the Mariana Islands
b. the Hawaiian Islands d. the Philippine Islands
c___ 31. Volcanic island arcs are associated with __________ .
c. transform plate boundaries  c. ocean-ocean convergent plate boundaries
d. divergent plate boundaries d. ocean-continent convergent plate boundaries
b___ 32. Melange deposits are associated with ______ .
 c. divergent boundaries c. transform boundaries
d. subduction margins d. all of these
c___ 33. Which of the following mountains did not form as a result of collision between two continents?
b. Appalachians b. Urals c. Andes d. Himalayas
c___ 34. Crustal blocks that occur within orogenic belts whose rocks and structures contrast sharply with adjacent
provinces are called ________ .
b. Ophiolites b. sutures c. microplates d. island arcs
d___ 35. Which of the following increases with distance from a mid-ocean ridge?
c. the age of oceanic lithosphere c. the thickness of the lithosphere
d. the depth to the sea floor d. 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.
a___ 36. How many reversals of the Earth's magnetic field are
depicted in the diagram?
b. 3 b. 4 c. 6 d. 7
c___ 37. How fast are C and D spreading apart from each other?
c. about 2 centimeters per year  c. about 10 centimeters per year 
d. about 5 centimeters per year  d. about 100 centimeters per year 
c___ 38. Lines on the seafloor that connect rocks of the same age are called _________.
b. Isograds b. isotopes c. isochrons d. isostasy
d___ 39. The east coast of North America represents a ___________.
c. convergent plate boundary  c. a transform plate boundary
d. divergent plate boundary d. the east coast of North America is not a plate
boundary
a___ 40. What are ophiolite suites?
a. fragments of oceanic lithosphere emplaced on a continent 
b. groups of seafloor magnetic anomalies
c. wedge-shaped packages of sediment that form at passive margins
d. micro-continents that have traveled a long distance
The diagram on the left side represents an ophiolite suite.
c___ 41. Which of the following rock types would you least expect to find in layer 1?
a. chert  b. limestone c. sandstone d. shale
a___ 42. What type of rocks make up layer 2.
a. basalt b. gabbro c. granite d. ultramafics
b___ 43. What type of rocks make up layer 3.
a. basalt b. gabbro c. granite d. ultramafics
c___ 44. Where is the Moho in this diagram?
a. between layers 1 and 2  c. between layer 3 and the ultramafic rocks
b. between layers 2 and 3 d. beneath the ultramafics
c___ 45. Which two layers have the same chemical composition?
a. layers 1 and 2 c. layers 2 and 3
b. layers 1 and 3 d. layer 3 and the ultramafics
b___ 46. How wide are the crystal mush zones (magma chambers) beneath mid-ocean ridges?
b. 1 kilometer b. 10 kilometer c. 100 kilometer d. 500 kilometer
a___ 47. Sedimentary rocks laid down in a slowly subsiding basin along a receding continental margin are called
__________.
c. continental shelf deposits  c. melange deposits
d. ophiolite suites d. fluvial deposits
c___ 48. Volcanic island arcs are associated with _________.
a. transform plate boundaries  c. ocean-ocean convergent plate boundaries
b. divergent plate boundaries d. ocean-continent convergent plate bound
d___49. What is the topographic feature at A called
a. oceanic basin b. oceanic rift c. spreading center d. oceanic trench

b___ 50. Feature B, called a __________, consists of

chaotically mixed and deformed rocks.
b. forearc basin b. mélange c. suture d.turbidite
b___ 51. What type of metamorphism occurs in region B?
c. high temperature, low pressure c. high temperature, high pressure
d. low temperature, high pressure d. low temperature, low pressure
c___52. Which of the following locations could be represented by this diagram??
c. east coast of Africa c. west coast of South America
d. east coast of South America d. east coast of North America