Answers2026-27 AL-Earth and Space SciencePlate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics Answers

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1
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Study the image of a plate boundary.

Question illustration
A
mountain
B
rift valley
C
earthquake
D
island chain
2
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Occasionally earthquakes occur as a result of collisions along oceanic-continental convergent boundaries. Where do these earthquakes most likely occur?

A
on land but close to oceans
B
inland, far from the coast
C
in the middle of the oceans
D
anywhere there are mountains
3

Many more earthquakes occur along the San Andreas Fault in California than in other parts of the United States. Scientists claim that these earthquakes are caused by activity along a transform plate boundary.Which evidence would best support this claim?

A
Subduction causes new crust to form.
B
Subduction causes old crust to be destroyed.
C
Plates slip past each other at the boundary.
D
Plates collide with each other at the boundary.
4

Study this image.

Question illustration
A
A volcano is forming.
B
Plates are converging.
C
A rift valley is forming.
D
A transform boundary is occurring.
5

Which statement explains the relationship between the density of a material and its movement in Earth’s interior?

A
Cooler materials move from Earth’s mantle to the lithosphere.
B
Cooler materials are highly dense, causing them to sink to the outer core.
C
Warmer materials sink to the mantle because their density slowly decreases.
D
Warmer materials have a high density, causing them to rise to Earth’s surface.
6

Study the image about convection currents.

Question illustration
A
1
B
2
C
3
D
4
7

During the process of mountain building, earthquakes sometimes occur along continental-continental convergent boundaries. Which statement best describes the motion of the plates along these boundaries that causes the earthquakes?

A
The plates push apart from each other with no subduction.
B
Subduction occurs with the less-dense plate sinking below the other plate.
C
Subduction occurs with the more-dense plate sinking below the other plate.
D
The plates smash together with no subduction.
8

Which statement describes John Tuzo Wilson’s contribution to the theory of plate tectonics?

A
He proposed that plates carry parts of the seafloor.
B
He theorized that pieces of Earth move for a limited time.
C
He suggested that the asthenosphere is broken into segments.
D
He observed seafloor cracks similar to existing cracks in the continents.
9

Which describes the boundary where earthquake activity occurs along rift valleys?

A
divergent boundary in the ocean
B
divergent boundary on land
C
convergent boundary in the ocean
D
convergent boundary on land
10

Study the image.

Question illustration
A
does not occur in oceans
B
may form rift valleys
C
is a type of convergent boundary
D
is a region where earthquakes occur
11

Which statement explains the relationship between the density of a material and its movement in Earth’s interior?

A
Cooler materials move from Earth’s mantle to the lithosphere.
B
Cooler materials are highly dense, causing them to sink to the outer core.
C
Warmer materials sink to the mantle because their density slowly decreases.
D
Warmer materials have a high density, causing them to rise to Earth’s surface.
12

Use the images to answer the question.Where would you most likely find transform boundaries on an earthquake distribution map?

Question illustration
A
where earthquakes are shallow and weak
B
where earthquakes are shallow and powerful
C
where earthquakes are deep and weak
D
where earthquakes are deep and powerful
13

Many earthquakes occur near mid-ocean ridges but do not destroy or form new crust. Instead, plates slip past each other. Which kind of boundary is found at these earthquake locations?

A
transform boundary between two ocean plates
B
transform boundary between two continental plates
C
convergent boundary between two ocean plates
D
convergent boundary between two continental plates
14

Which region of Earth did John Tuzo Wilson believe was broken into plates?

A
lithosphere
B
outer core
C
lower mantle
D
asthenosphere
15

Use the earthquake distribution map and what you know about boundaries to answer the question.Studies have shown that there is a relationship between the type and location of boundaries and the distribution and depth of earthquakes along or near these boundaries. Many earthquakes, shown in the map as wide bands, occur along convergent areas. These areas experience varying depths of earthquakes.Where would oceanic-oceanic convergence most likely occur?

Question illustration
A
Nazca plate converging with the South America plate, forming the Andes mountains
B
Philippine plate converging with the Pacific plate, forming Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean
C
Juan de Fuca converging with the North American plate, forming the Cascade mountains
D
North America Plate converging with the Eurasian Plate, forming a mid-ocean ridge
16

Which statement describes the process of subduction?

A
Convection currents cause two plates to move away from each other.
B
A plate slides beneath another plate due to convection currents and gravity.
C
Materials are heated and transferred within Earth’s interior by density.
D
Heat cycles in the mantle cause plates to constantly move.
17

Which best explains why earthquakes sometimes occur in the same locations as mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys?

A
Plates bump as they slip past each other at convergent boundaries.
B
Plates get stuck as they move past each other at convergent boundaries.
C
Crust gets cracked and forms faults as plates collide along divergent plate boundaries.
D
Faults form because crust gets cracked when plates move apart along divergent plate boundaries.
18

Into which layer of the Earth do plate boundaries extend?

A
outer core
B
lithosphere
C
lower mantle
D
asthenosphere

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