Science

Select the sources of energy that are still providing heat inside the Earth

Elements undergoing radioactive decay, Gravitational compaction of earth’s layers.

Using the following image, pick ONE piece of evidence that supports the idea that the seafloor is spreading. (The numbers listed represent the age of the seafloor, in million of years.)

The age of the sea floor on each side of the Mid Atlantic Ridge increase at the similar rate.

What are ALL of the following pieces of evidence that Alfred Wegener used to support his Theory of Continental Drift?

Continents that fit together as puzzle pieces, The same fossils are found on different continents,Tropical plant fossils are found in cool climates, Similar rock structures are found on different continents.

Mesosaurus is a reptile that has been extinct for nearly 300 million years. Fossil remains of this animal have been found in both South America and Africa. 

Which statement explains the location of these fossils on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean?

South America and Africa were once connected. 

Match the following items from the image above, to the correct layer of Earth. 

Outer core, Mesosphere, Asthenosphere-No particular order

Wood block-Lithosphere, Tap water- Asthenosphere, Hot water- Outer Core

Which statement describes the causes that most likely led to the breaking apart of Pangaea?

Convection in Earth's interior caused Pangaea to separate into several different landmasses.

The following diagram shows a cross-section of the mid-Atlantic Ridge. Which area is likely the oldest crust?

Area 1

Which two pieces of evidence support Hess's theory of seafloor spreading.

Young rock by the middle of the ridge opening and older rock farthest away, Magnetic reversal in the rocks.

Convection currents are directly connected to the movement of continents. Which layer of Earth's interior do convection currents occur in?

asthenosphere

two pieces of evidence that came after Alfred Wegener to support his Theory of Continental Drift

Magnetized rocks on the ocean floor, Convection currents of magma in the mantle.

How do scientists explain the formation of underwater mountain ranges?

Seafloor spreading

Who first proposed the Theory of Continental Drift?

Alfred Wegener

Study the map of the ocean floor below. The map shows a portion of the Atlantic Ocean floor located between South America and Africa. Lines show the approximate age (in million years) of the ocean-floor bedrock on each side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Points A, B, and X represent locations on the ocean floor. What is the estimated age of the ocean-floor bedrock at point X?

72 million years

The continents of South America and Africa were once joined in the landmass Pangaea. Location R is on the easter coast of South America, and four locations on the continents of Africa are identified by number. 

Which location on the continent of Africa would have once corresponded to Location R on South American before the landmass Pangaea broke apart?

Location 3

Who proposed the idea of the Convection Current Theory

Arthur Holmes

Who proposed the theory of Seafloor Spreading?

Harry Hess

In 1968, the Deep Sea Drilling Project began extracting sediment cores from the ocean floor. Analysis of these cores has since shown that the ocean basins are very young compared to the accepted age of the Earth. No rocks older than 180 million years have been found. The sediment cores further indicate that ocean sediments are absent at the mid-ocean ridge and get thicker moving away from the ridge creating mountain ranges on the ocean floor.

This evidence helped to confirm what aspect of the plate tectonic theory?

seafloor spreading

Coal is made from decomposed land plants. Coal has been found in the arctic. The coal came from forests that grew in the arctic in the distant past. Today, the arctic is too cold to support tree life. 

What does the existence of arctic coal tell scientists?

The arctic was warmer at some point in the past

Study the image below.

This image gives us evidence that supports the idea of continental drift.  The evidence is -

The magnetic reversal locked into the rocks, alternating as you move away from the ridge proposed by Harry Hess.

The image below shows magnetic reversal on the ocean floor. 

Which of the statements below best explain the reason for magnetic reversal?

Earth’s magnetic field flips every 10,000 to 50 million years due to changing movement in the outer core, and when magma erupts, the new rock aligns to that magnetic field, creating bands on the ocean floor.

Why wasn't Alfred Wegener's Theory of Continental Drift accepted?

He couldn't explain how the continents moved.

Identify the statement(s) that describe the Earth's magnetic field.

It is generated in the outer core, It has flipped several times throughout Earth's history, it protects Earth from the Sun's radiation.

The driving force that moves the continents on the Earth's lithosphere is _____________.

convection currents