Waves, Layers of Earth and Plate Tectonics Test

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

____ 1. When the force on rocks is great enough, they break, producing vibrations called ____.
a. faults c. strains
b. earthquakes d. stresses

____ 2. Once the elastic limit of rocks is passed, they break and move along surfaces called
____.
a. faults c. strains
b. earthquakes d. stresses

____ 3. The point on Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake is the ____.
a. focus c. fault
b. epicenter d. inner core

____ 4. What does a seismograph record?

a. the Mercalli scale rating for an earthquake
b. the speed of seismic waves
c. the ground movements caused by seismic waves
d. the location of the epicenter

____ 5. The higher the waves on a seismogram the ____.

a. stronger the earthquake c. closer the earthquake
b. weaker the earthquake d. None of these

____ 6. Scientists think that convection currents flow in Earth's

a. continents.
b. asthenosphere.
c. lithosphere.
d. inner core.

____ 7. The point beneath Earth's surface where rock breaks under stress and triggers an
earthquake is called the
a. syncline.
b. footwall.
c. epicenter.
d. focus.
____ 8. Use the Mercalli scale below to answer this question.
 You are eating dinner when the lamp above the table begins to swing. After a few
seconds it stops. According to the Mercalli scale, how strong was the earthquake you
felt?
a. magnitude 2 b. magnitude 4 c. magnitude 6 d. magnitude 8

____ 9. S waves are also known as

a. primary waves.
b. secondary waves.
c. surface waves.
d. focus waves.

____ 10. The risk of earthquakes is high along the Pacific coast of the United States because
a. there have been no earthquakes there lately.
b. serious earthquakes are rare east of the Rockies.
c. satellites have detected increasing elevation of the ground surface.
d. that's where the Pacific and North American plates meet.

____ 11. As depth beneath Earth's surface increases, temperature and pressure
a. both increase.
b. both decrease.
c. approach zero.
d. stay the same.

____ 12. Earth's inner core is

a. a dense ball of solid metal.
b. a layer of molten metal.
c. a layer of hot rock.
d. a layer of rock that forms Earth's outer skin.

____ 13. What is Pangaea?

a. the name of a German scientist
b. the name of the supercontinent that existed millions of years ago
c. another name for continental drift
d. the name of an ancient fossil

____ 14. Most geologists think that the movement of Earth's plates is caused by
a. gravity.
b. subduction.
c. convection currents in the asthenosphere.
d. Earth's magnetic field.

____ 15. The geological theory that states that pieces of Earth's lithosphere are in constant, slow
motion is the theory of
a. subduction.
b. plate tectonics.
c. deep-ocean trenches.
d. sea-floor spreading.
Fill-in-the blank
Choose the correct word from the word bank to complete each sentence.
Mantle
Continental drift
Convection
Crust
Increases
Decreases
Pangea
Inner core
Outer core

16. The outermost layer of the Earth is called the _________________________

17. The ____________ has high temperatures that softens rock and flows in convection
currents.

18. Alfred Wegener provided evidence from landforms and climate in support of his
theory of ________________

19. Pressure ____________________from Earth's surface toward the center of Earth.

20. One of the forces that cause tectonic plates to move is _______________currents in the
asthenosphere.

22. The _______________ is solid due to tremendous pressure and is the hottest layer of
Earth.

Label the Layers of the Earth in the Diagram.

23.

24.

25.

26.
LABEL EACH OF THE FOLLOWING
BOUNDARIES, AS CONVERGENT
DIVERGENT, OR TRANSFORM. Then
list one physical feature that results.

27.

28...____________________________

29.

30.____________________________

31.

32.____________________________
 33.

34.____________________________

12. 35. __________________________

36. __________________________