PHSC 210 Test2 Questions and Answers
What were Alfred Wegener's contributions? - Answer-Came up with the concept of continental drift
and named the supercontinent "pangea"
What was Wegener's evidence for continental drift? - Answer-1. "Fit of the continents"
2. matching geology and Mt. ranges
3. fossil distribution
4. living organism distribution
5. ancient climate
Why did Wegener's idea not succeed? - Answer-He had no mechanism to explain the movement of the
continents
What did the discovery of features in the ocean lead to? - Answer-The concept of seafloor spreading
What makes up the modern plate tectonics theory? - Answer-Continental drift and Seafloor spreading
, How are plate boundaries identified? - Answer-By patterns of earthquakes and volcanoes
What are 3 major types of plate boundaries? - Answer-Divergent, convergent, transform
What are the features of oceanic-oceanic convergence boundaries? - Answer-Subduction zone: oceanic-
crust plate (more dense plate) is forced down into the mantle (Ex. mariana islands, western pacific)
Features of oceanic-continental convergence? - Answer-When continental crust converges with oceanic
lithosphere the buoyant continental crust remains "floating" while the denser oceanic slab sinks into the
mantle (Ex Andes Mts, Cascade Mts)
Continental- continental convergence boundary? - Answer-No subduction zone, collision creates new
mountain ranges (Ex. Alps, Himalayas)
Features of ocean ridges and examples - Answer-zone of seafloor spreading
new ocean crust formed from magma
elevated areas of the seafloor
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, East Pacific Rise
Features and examples of continental rift valleys - Answer-continents split apart by extensional stresses
Iceland, East Africa
What are the features of the transform boundaries? - Answer-"Fracture zones"
Spreading center
Plates slide past each other along a transform fault
Near ocean ridges
Found on continents
What were Alfred Wegener's contributions? - Answer-Came up with the concept of continental drift
and named the supercontinent "pangea"
What was Wegener's evidence for continental drift? - Answer-1. "Fit of the continents"
2. matching geology and Mt. ranges
3. fossil distribution
4. living organism distribution
5. ancient climate
Why did Wegener's idea not succeed? - Answer-He had no mechanism to explain the movement of the
continents
What did the discovery of features in the ocean lead to? - Answer-The concept of seafloor spreading
What makes up the modern plate tectonics theory? - Answer-Continental drift and Seafloor spreading
, How are plate boundaries identified? - Answer-By patterns of earthquakes and volcanoes
What are 3 major types of plate boundaries? - Answer-Divergent, convergent, transform
What are the features of oceanic-oceanic convergence boundaries? - Answer-Subduction zone: oceanic-
crust plate (more dense plate) is forced down into the mantle (Ex. mariana islands, western pacific)
Features of oceanic-continental convergence? - Answer-When continental crust converges with oceanic
lithosphere the buoyant continental crust remains "floating" while the denser oceanic slab sinks into the
mantle (Ex Andes Mts, Cascade Mts)
Continental- continental convergence boundary? - Answer-No subduction zone, collision creates new
mountain ranges (Ex. Alps, Himalayas)
Features of ocean ridges and examples - Answer-zone of seafloor spreading
new ocean crust formed from magma
elevated areas of the seafloor
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, East Pacific Rise
Features and examples of continental rift valleys - Answer-continents split apart by extensional stresses
Iceland, East Africa
What are the features of the transform boundaries? - Answer-"Fracture zones"
Spreading center
Plates slide past each other along a transform fault
Near ocean ridges
Found on continents
