GEOLOGY 3140 The-Changing-Earth-5th-Edition-Monroe-Test-Bank Chapter 2: Test Bank Note: Questions with an asterisk (*) denote appearance in web quiz (Tutorial Quiz) Short Answer Essay Questions

The Changing Earth: Exploring Geology and Evolution, 5e Test Bank Chapter 2: Test Bank Note: Questions with an asterisk (*) denote appearance in web quiz (Tutorial Quiz) Short Answer Essay Questions 1. What were the major lines of evidence for continental drift as presented by Wegener in the early 20th century? Answer: The glaciations on the Gondwana continents could only have occurred if the continents were joined since the centers of the glaciers would have been in the ocean if they were not. Also, the continents, such as South America and Africa, match like a jigsaw puzzle. Similar fossil plant and animals are separated by oceans leading to the assumption that they must have lived in adjacent regions when they were alive. Finally, similar rock sequences and mountain ranges could be connected across oceans. [pp. 31-35] 2. Explain how mountain ranges can be used as evidence to support continental drift. Answer: A mountain range forms under the same geological conditions along its length. This means that the same or nearly the same rock types are found along the range’s length in the same or nearly the same sequence. The processes that form mountain ranges tend to create somewhat linear, elevated features. So a mountain range that has been split, even if it has been separated by an ocean, is fairly easy to recognize. [p. 32]