Wegener was intrigued when the same Mesosaurus fossils, an ancient freshwater reptile, showed up on different continents.

Question

What hypothesis did he propose to explain this?

A. The continents were at one time joined together.

B. The fossils were moved by humans.

C. The fossils must be of different species.

D. The Mesosaurus swam between the two continents.

Answer 1

A. The continents were at one time joined together.

This hypothesis is part of Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift, which suggests that continents were once part of a single landmass called Pangaea and later separated.

Answer 2

What makes plates move?

A. cold air currents on earth’s surface

B. heat convection within the earth

C. radiation from the sun

D. movement of ice sheets

Answer 3

B. heat convection within the earth

The movement of tectonic plates is primarily driven by heat convection currents in the Earth's mantle. As hotter, less dense material rises and cooler, denser material sinks, it creates a flow that causes the tectonic plates on the Earth's surface to move.

Answer 4

When mantle plumes (or hot spots) erupt underneath moving plates, which geologic feature results?

A. earthquakes

B. trenches

C. divergent zones

D. volcanic islands

Answer 5

D. volcanic islands

When mantle plumes or hot spots erupt underneath moving tectonic plates, they can create volcanic islands. A well-known example of this is the Hawaiian Islands, which formed as the Pacific Plate moved over a stationary hot spot in the mantle.

Answer 6

There are some areas of the world where more than two plates react in complex ways. One example of this is near Spain where three plates are moving together. What do we call these areas?

A. trench zones

B. plate boundary zones

C. the Ring of Fire

D. continental shelf zones

Answer 7

B. plate boundary zones

Areas where more than two tectonic plates interact are referred to as plate boundary zones. These zones often exhibit complex geological activity, including earthquakes, volcanic activity, and mountain-building processes.

Answer 8

Use the following diagram to answer this question.
Cross-section diagram of earth with labels A B C D showing different layers of the planet
In the diagram of the earth's interior, which part drives movements of the plates?

A

B

C

D

Answer 9

While I don't have access to the diagram you're referring to, in general, the movements of tectonic plates are driven by processes occurring in the Earth's mantle.

If we assume:

• A is the crust,
• B is the mantle,
• C is the outer core,
• D is the inner core,

then the part that drives the movements of the plates would likely be B (the mantle), where heat convection occurs, leading to the movement of tectonic plates above it.

For a more accurate answer, please provide details on which part each label corresponds to.

Answer 10

What is the name of Layer D?

A. the crust

B. the inner core

C. the mantle

D. the cryosphere

Answer 11

Without the specific diagram or further context regarding what Layer D represents, I can provide general names for the Earth’s layers:

• The crust is the outermost layer.
• The mantle is located beneath the crust.
• The outer core is liquid and surrounds the inner core.
• The inner core is solid and is the innermost layer.

If you know that Layer D is the innermost layer of the Earth, then it would be B. the inner core. If Layer D is something else, please provide more context or describe its position within the Earth's structure.