Question 1

Which of the following best describes the lithosphere?

Accepted Answer

The solid outer shell of the Earth, including the crust and the uppermost mantle.

Question 2

Which type of plate boundary is responsible for the formation of mid-ocean ridges?

Accepted Answer

Extensional (divergent) plate boundaries

Question 3

What is the primary source of heat that drives mantle convection?

Accepted Answer

Primordial heat from Earth's formation and radioactive decay

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT evidence that supported Wegener’s theory of continental drift?

Accepted Answer

Distribution of magnetic anomalies on the seafloor

Question 5

At which type of plate boundary is lithosphere neither created nor destroyed?

Accepted Answer

Transform (strike-slip) plate boundary

Question 6

Which of the following best explains the process of isostasy?

Accepted Answer

A dynamic equilibrium between the crust and mantle, where the crust rises or sinks depending on its mass and density.

Question 7

Which real-world example is associated with a continent-continent convergent plate boundary?

Accepted Answer

The Himalayas

Question 8

What would happen to the Earth's surface if there were only spreading centers at mid-ocean ridges and no convergent plate boundaries?

Accepted Answer

The Earth's surface area would increase over time.

Question 9

Which of the following statements about mantle convection is correct?

Accepted Answer

It is driven by heat from both below (primordial/gravitational) and within (radioactive decay).

Question 10

Which of the following is a direct geophysical method for observing subducted lithosphere in the mantle?

Accepted Answer

Seismic tomography

Question 11

A tectonic plate consists of which of the following layers?

Accepted Answer

Crust and the uppermost mantle

Question 12

Which of the following best describes the process occurring at ocean-ocean convergent boundaries?

Accepted Answer

One oceanic plate subducts beneath another, forming ocean trenches and island arc volcanoes.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a source of Earth's internal heat?

Accepted Answer

Solar radiation

Question 14

If the density of continental crust is $$2.7\ \mathrm{g/cm^3$}$$ and the density of oceanic crust is $$3.0\ \mathrm{g/cm^3$}$$, which will 'float' higher on the mantle and why?

Accepted Answer

Continental crust, because it is less dense than oceanic crust.

Question 15

Which of the following is a real-world example of a transform plate boundary?

Accepted Answer

San Andreas Fault

Question 16

Which process is responsible for the recycling of oceanic lithosphere into the mantle?

Accepted Answer

Subduction at convergent plate boundaries

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the concept of isochrons on the ocean floor?

Accepted Answer

Lines connecting points of equal age, showing the pattern of seafloor spreading.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about the asthenosphere is correct?

Accepted Answer

It is a weak, ductile layer beneath the lithosphere that allows tectonic plates to move.

Question 19

A mountain range is eroded over millions of years, reducing its mass. What is the expected response of the underlying crust according to the principle of isostasy?

Accepted Answer

The crust will slowly rebound and rise.

Question 20

Which of the following is a plausible consequence if radioactive decay in the Earth's interior were to suddenly stop?

Accepted Answer

Mantle convection would slow down, eventually reducing tectonic activity.

Plate Tectonics and Dynamic Earth Processes: Mini-Study Guide

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