Tectonics & Earthquakes

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____	1.	Tectonic plates consist of
a.	continental crust.	c.	both continental and oceanic crust.	
b.	oceanic crust.	d.	mesosphere.	

____	2.	The deep interior of the Earth can be mapped using
a.	seismic waves.	c.	information from drilling expeditions.	
b.	sonar.	d.	ocean waves.	

____	3.	Wegener thought that all the continents were once together in one large continent called
a.	Gondwana.	c.	Eurasia.	
b.	Laurasia.	d.	Pangaea.	

____	4.	New oceanic lithosphere forms as a result of
a.	sea-floor spreading.	c.	reverse polarity.	
b.	normal polarity.	d.	continental drift.	

____	5.	Evidence for sea-floor spreading has come from
a.	fossils in South America and Africa.	c.	ancient climatic conditions.	
b.	magnetic minerals on the ocean floor.	d.	the breakup of Pangaea.	

____	6.	The global positioning system can map the rate of tectonic plate movement using
a.	radio waves.	c.	visual markers.	
b.	lasers.	d.	motion detectors.	

____	7.	A possible result of plates moving along a transform boundary is
a.	oceans.	c.	earthquakes.	
b.	convection.	d.	sea-floor spreading.	

____	8.	What is the outermost layer of the Earth called?
a.	core	c.	asthenosphere	
b.	lithosphere	d.	mesosphere	

____	9.	What is the liquid layer of the Earth’s core called?
a.	lithosphere	c.	inner core	
b.	mesosphere	d.	outer core	

____	10.	What type of fault usually occurs because of compression?
a.	folded	c.	strike-slip	
b.	normal	d.	reverse	

____	11.	In a normal fault, where does the hanging wall move relative to the footwall?
a.	upward	c.	horizontally	
b.	downward	d.	stays the same	

____	12.	What kind of force can lead to mountains with sharp, jagged peaks?
a.	tension	c.	stress	
b.	compression	d.	rebound	

____	13.	What type of boundary is formed when plates separate?
a.	convergent	c.	divergent	
b.	horizontal	d.	transform	

____	14.	Which of these did NOT provide evidence for continental drift?
a.	sea-floor spreading	c.	the fossil record	
b.	oceanic plate theory	d.	magnetic reversals	

____	15.	Where does sea-floor spreading take place?
a.	convergent boundaries	c.	oceanic volcanoes	
b.	transform boundaries	d.	mid-ocean ridges	

____	16.	The mantle is denser than the crust because it contains more
a.	iron.	c.	silicon.	
b.	magnesium.	d.	oxygen.	

____	17.	Seismic waves travel through Earth’s layers at different speeds depending on the
a.	density.	c.	area.	
b.	mass.	d.	shape.	

____	18.	Mountains formed by magma that reaches the Earth's surface are
a.	slip-strike.	c.	fault-block.	
b.	folded.	d.	volcanic.	

____	19.	Sets of deep cracks that form between two tectonic plates that are pulling away from each other are known as
a.	mid-ocean ridges.	c.	clefts.	
b.	troughs.	d.	rift zones.	

____	20.	What does the theory of continental drift explain?
a.	the layers of the Earth	c.	how volcanoes formed	
b.	why continents move	d.	how oceans formed	

____	21.	What happens at mid-ocean ridges?
a.	strike-slip faults	c.	sea-floor spreading	
b.	magnetic reversal	d.	earthquakes	

____	22.	Which of the following is associated with transform boundaries?
a.	slab pull	c.	sea-floor spreading	
b.	magnetic reversal	d.	earthquakes	

____	23.	What do scientists use the global positioning system for?
a.	to measure tectonic plate motion	c.	to make images of tectonic plates	
b.	to measure the Earth’s thickness	d.	to locate fossils	

____	24.	What is compression?
a.	stress squeezing an object	c.	stress breaking an object	
b.	stress pulling an object	d.	stress releasing an object	

____	25.	What is tension?
a.	stress squeezing an object	c.	stress breaking an object	
b.	stress pulling an object	d.	stress releasing an object	

____	26.	What is the idea that all continents were part of one big landmass?
a.	oceanic drift	c.	oceanic theory	
b.	continental drift	d.	continental theory	

____	27.	What is it called when Earth’s magnetic poles change places?
a.	a strike-slip fault	c.	sea-floor spreading	
b.	magnetic reversal	d.	continental drift	

____	28.	What can tectonic plates form when they converge?
a.	mid-ocean ridges	c.	sea floor	
b.	mountains	d.	asthenosphere	

____	29.	The order of the layers of the Earth from the surface to the center is:
a.	asthenosphere, lithosphere, mesosphere, outer core, inner core	
b.	lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, outer core, inner core	
c.	mesosphere, outer core, inner core, lithosphere, asthenosphere	
d.	lithosphere, asthenosphere, mesosphere, inner core, outer core	

____	30.	Earthquakes produce
a.	seismographs.	c.	seismic waves.	
b.	maps.	d.	volcanoes.	

____	31.	The giant continent which was composed of all the land on Earth was called
a.	Pangaea.	c.	Gondwana.	
b.	Panthalassa.	d.	Laurasia.	

____	32.	The southern portion of Pangaea that broke apart about 180 million years ago is known as
a.	Pangaea.	c.	Gondwana.	
b.	Panthalassa.	d.	Laurasia.	

____	33.	Magnetic reversals are preserved in
a.	compass needles.	c.	all minerals.	
b.	magnetic minerals.	d.	continental crust.	

____	34.	Magnetic reversals have helped to support
a.	the theory of Pangaea.	c.	sea-floor spreading.	
b.	the age of the Earth.	d.	the theory of Gondwana.	

____	35.	Mid-ocean ridges are the most common type of
a.	continental-continental collision.	
b.	oceanic-oceanic collision.	 d.	subduction zone.	
c.	divergent boundary.	

____	36.	Changes in density in the asthenosphere are caused by
a.	thermal energy.	c.	ridge push.	
b.	slab pull.	d.	seismic waves.	

____	37.	The Global Positioning System depends on
a.	gravity.	c.	satellites.	
b.	the Internet.	d.	visual observations.	

____	38.	The amount of force per unit area on a given material is
a.	stress.	c.	uplift.	
b.	deformation.	d.	subsidence.	

____	39.	The San Andreas Fault is an example of a
a.	reverse fault.	c.	strike-slip fault.	
b.	normal fault.	d.	divergent plate boundary.	

____	40.	Most earthquakes happen at the edges of
a.	tectonic plates.	c.	earthquake zones.	
b.	elastic deformations.	d.	shear waves.	

____	41.	Which of the following is NOT a type of plate motion?
a.	transform motion	c.	divergent motion	
b.	convergent motion	d.	rebound motion	

____	42.	A break in Earth’s crust along which blocks of crust slide relative to one another is
a.	a plate.	c.	a fault.	
b.	a deformation.	d.	an earthquake.	

____	43.	Which of the following is a type of body wave?
a.	shear wave	c.	reverse wave	
b.	surface wave	d.	transform wave	

____	44.	Most earthquakes occur along the edges of
a.	tectonic plates.	c.	wave boundaries.	
b.	seismic gaps.	d.	epicenters.	

____	45.	What kind of deformation leads to earthquakes?
a.	plastic deformation	c.	convergent deformation	
b.	elastic deformation	d.	shear deformation	

____	46.	What waves of energy from earthquakes do scientists use to study Earth’s interior?
a.	earthquake waves	c.	gap waves	
b.	transform waves	d.	seismic waves	

____	47.	Strike-slip faults are created by
a.	convergent motion.	c.	transcontinental motion.	
b.	transform motion.	d.	divergent motion.	

____	48.	What causes the ground to move during an earthquake?
a.	elastic rebound	
b.	deformation 	
c.	stress	
d.	plastic rebound	

____	49.	Which seismic waves do the greatest damage?
a.	surface waves	c.	P waves	
b.	S waves	d.	body waves	

____	50.	What is the science in which earthquakes are studied called?
a.	earthquake science	c.	seismology	
b.	tectonics	d.	wave science	

____	51.	The shape of a rock changes because of stress in a process called
a.	deformation.	c.	subsidence.	
b.	compression.	d.	folding.	

____	52.	The bending of rock layers due to stress in the Earth’s crust is called
a.	deformation.	c.	uplift.	
b.	folding.	d.	substidence.	

Completion
Complete each statement.

	53.	Transform motion creates ____________________ faults.

	54.	Crust moves downward because of ____________________.

	55.	A ____________________ is a substance composed of two or more elements.

	56.	Older ____________________ is farther away from the mid-ocean ridge than the younger crust is.

	57.	A ____________________ traveling through a solid will travel faster than a seismic wave traveling though a liquid.

	58.	When an object is squeezed the type of stress is called ____________________.

	59.	The bending of rock layers because of stress is ____________________.

	60.	The Tetons are examples of ____________________.

	61.	The Alps and Himalayas are ____________________.

Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.

asthenosphere	continental drift	
deformation	tectonic plates	
sea-floor spreading	uplift	
subsidence	seismic waves	

	62.	The process that takes place at mid-ocean ridges is called ____________________.

	63.	Most earthquakes occur near the edge of ____________________.

Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.
normal	reverse 	
sea-floor spreading	magnetic reversals	
divergent	convergent	

	64.	Tectonic plates move together to form a ____________________ boundary.

	65.	When compression breaks a rock layer it makes a ____________________ fault.

	66.	New crust in the ocean is a sign of ____________________.

Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.
seismic waves	retrofitting	
elastic deformation	sea-floor spreading	

	67.	Rock that deforms like a stretched rubber band is an example of ____________________.

	68.	New crust in the ocean is a sign of ____________________.

	69.	The process that makes older buildings more earthquake resistant is called ____________________.

Use the terms from the following list to complete the sentences below.
surface waves	reverse	P waves	

	70.	The most destructive seismic waves are ____________________.