a. core
b. mantle
c. crust
d. tectonic plates

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a. The core is actually at the center of the Earth.
b. The mantle is the portion directly beneath the crust.
c. The crust is the thin outermost layer of the Earth.
d, The tectonic plates are the sections of the crust that move.
 

2. Typically, he earth's crustal plates are moving at a rate of:

a. 0 to 10 mm per year
b. 1 to 10 cm per year
c. 10 to 100 cm per year
d. 1 to 10 meters per year

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a. although rates in this range are possible, they are too slow for typical plates; these rates are an order of magnitude too small.
b. Rates in this range are typical for most plates. The "fast " plates will move about the width of your hand in a typical year.
c. Rates at the low end of his range exist in a few places, but are not typical of most plates.
d. These rates are much too large. (The units are meters, which are much too large when describing crustal movement.)
 

3. When two ocean plates collide with each other, the heavier oceanic crust will slide beneath the lighter continental crust and melt into the mantle, forming:

a. a deep oceanic trench
b. a mountain range
c. a deep oceanic ridge
d. a volcano

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a. As the edge of one tectonic plate descends below the edge of another tectonic plate, a trench is formed at the point of convergence.
b. Mountain ranges may result from the convergence of two continental plates, but generally does not involve any subduction.
c. Deep ocean ridges are formed by the spreading of two tectonic plates.
d. While volcanoes may form by some subduction zones, they also occur over hot spots.
 

4. New crustal material is created at:

a. convergent boundaries
b. divergent boundaries
c. transform boundaries

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a. Convergent boundaries generally result in the crustal material being lifted or folded, but no new material created.
b. Divergent boundaries are created by molten rock from the asthenosphere rising to the surface, forcing the continent to break and separate.
c. Transform boundaries involve plates sliding past one another without the construction or destruction of crust.
 

5. An example of a transform boundary is:
a. San Andreas fault
b. the Andes mountains
c. the mid-Atlantic ridge
d. the Henry Mountains of Utah

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a. The San Andreas fault is an example of a transform boundary. The North American plate is moving southwest as the Pacific plate slides laterally along it in a northwest direction.
b. The Andes mountains are located at the boundary of the South American plate and the Pacific plate.
c. The mid-Atlantic ridge is formed by two plates moving away from each other or a divergent boundary.
d. The Henry Mountains of Utah are not a result of an action at a plate boundary.
 

6. The top layer of the earth is called the crust, which is basically hardened mantle.

True False

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The crust is made of material from the mantle that has risen and cooled, causing it to harden.
 

7. The theory of Continental Drift was proposed by a German, Alfred Wegener.

True False

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Alfred Wegner did indeed put forth the theory of Continental Drift in 1915.
 

8. A "hot spot" is a rising plume of hot mantle material that moves around until it breaks through a plate.

True False

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A "hot spot" is a rising plume of hot material, but it does not move. Rather the "hot spot" stays relatively stationary while the crustal plates move over it.

9. The world contains about _______ historically active volcanoes.

a. 200
b. 300
c. 400
d. 500

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(a,b,c,) These numbers are all too low, while d (500 volcanoes) is the most accurate.

10. The earth's tectonic plates can move:

a. towards each other
b. away from each other
c. laterally past each other
d. towards, away and laterally past each other

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The correct answer for the question is d. Crustal plates may indeed move towards, away or laterally past each other. These movements are caused by the convection currents that occur in the mantle material.
 

11. The study of crustal plates and their movement is known as:

a. paleontology
b. volcanology
c. geology
d. plate tectonics

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a. Paleontology is the study of the life of past geological periods as known from fossil remains.
b. Volcanology is the study of volcanoes.
c. Geology is the study of rocks and minerals.
d. Plate tectonics is indeed the study of crustal plate movement.
 

12. The earth's crust is separated into about ________ sections or plates

a. 5
b. 7
c. 9
d. 11

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The experts generally agree there are nine crustal plates.
 

13. NIH Image is a program that allows you to

a. measure lengths
b. measure areas
c. measure light intensity
d. all of the above

feedback
NIH Image is a very versatile program that allows a person to measure light intensity, lengths and areas, as well as many other functions.
 

14. The hot spot that is responsible for the uniqueness of Yellowstone Park was originally located in the state of:

a. Oregon
b. Idaho
c. Montana
d. Wyoming

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Over the last fifteen or sixteen million years, the North American plate has moved in a southwest direction. This means that the oldest evidence of the hot spot is found in southwest Idaho.
 

15. The position of "hot spots" changes relative to the crustal plate because:

a. the convection currents in the mantle move the "hot spot".
b. the convection currents in the mantle move the crustal plate over the "hot spot"
c. the mantle melts parts of the crust, which makes the crust thinner
d. the volcanoes are always active.

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a. The hot spot stays relatively constant relative to the material in the mantle.
b. The heating and cooling of the viscous mantle material creates powerful convection currents in the mantle material that do indeed move the crustal plates over the hot spots.
c. While the mantle does indeed melt parts of the crust, it has no effect on the movement of the hot spot.
d. Not all hot spots have volcanoes, so this option is not true.
 

16. When setting the scale in NIH Image, you must know the comparison of miles and kilometers. Is a kilometer longer or shorter than a mile.

a. longer
b. shorter

feedback
One mile is about sixty-two hundredths of a kilometer, so a kilometer is shorter than a mile. This conversion needs to be remembered in order to correctly estimate distances found when using NIH Image.
 

17. When calibrating NIH Image, it is necessary to use images that are in:

a. GIF format
b. TIFF format
c. PICT format
d. compressed format

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NIH Image is calibrated when using images that have been saved in a TIFF or PICT format. This information needs to be kept in mind when downloading images from the net.
 

18. The Yellowstone Caldera has traveled at a relatively constant rate over the last sixteen million years.

True False

feedback
When dealing with a mass as large as the North American plate, some variation in rates of motion is to be expected. The movement rate of the plate however has sped up and slowed down enough that one could safely say that it has not been relatively constant.
 

19. A majority of the world's volcanoes are located:

a. along the edges of the crustal plates
b. close to the equator
c. close to Japan
d. in the United States

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The answer to this question is is (a), as this is where the subduction zones are found and it is also where most of the crustal disturbance is found.
 

20. The two types of the Earth's crust are:

a. light crust and dark crust
b. brittle crust and fluid crust
c. old crust and young crust
d. oceanic crust and continental crust

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While there are variations in crustal makeup, the two types of crust are oceanic crust and continental crust.
 

21. NIH Image has the ability to place pictures in a stack and animate them.

True False

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One of the unique features of NIH Image is the ability to animate a series of pictures. This feature is extremely useful when showing change of something over time.
 

22. Olympus Mons is:

a. a volcano on Earth
b. a volcano on Mars
c. a volcano on the Moon
d. not a volcano anywhere

feedback
Olympus Mons is a volcano on Mars. If you missed this item, you may want to access the Directions for Capturing, Animating and Making Measurements from images found on the Internet, which can be found in the unit on the Yellowstone Caldera.
 

23. The edges of the tectonic plates can be outlined fairly closely by:

a. the location of volcanoes and earthquakes
b. the location of geothermal activity
c. the location of mountain ranges
d. the location of glaciers and glacial moraines

feedback
While the edges of some tectonic plates could be located by mountain ranges and geothermal activity, the location of volcanoes and earthquakes will more closely approximate the edges of the tectonic plates.
 

24. Fossil similarities between South America and Africa is evidence of "Continental Drift" proposed by Alfred Wegener in 1915.

True False

feedback
When Alfred Wegner first proposed the Continental Drift theory in 1915, there were very few scientists that believed it possible. Not only have fossil similarities between South America and Africa been found, but also evidence of similar rock types and formations between South America and Africa.
 

25. The driving force that causes plates to move is the result of the major ocean currents.

True False

feedback
While ocean currents are very important in the formation of weather patterns around the world, they have absolutely no effect on the movement of crustal plates.
 

26. An example of a hot spot, other than the Yellowstone Caldera would be:

a. Indonesia
b. Greenland
c. Mount Saint Helens
d. the Hawaiian Islands

feedback
While Indonesia, Greenland, and Mount Saint Helens all have spots that are "hot", the Hawaiian Islands are an example of a hot spot. The Pacific plate has moved in a southeasterly direction over the hot spot which created the northern-most islands first and the island of Hawaii more recently.

27. What type of crustal boundary is found along the west coast of the United States?

a. subduction
b. transform
c. divergent
d. both a and b

feedback
Along each crustal plate will be found a variety of boundaries. Along the west coast of the United States can be found transform boundaries (San Andreas fault) and subduction zones (off the coast of Washington, Oregon), so the best answer is (d).
 

28. The Himalayan mountains were formed by:

a. a divergent boundary
b. a convergent boundary
c. a transform boundary
d. a subduction zone

feedback
Himalayan mountains were formed by a convergent boundary. The plate containing India is moving north into the plate containing China and as a result there has been a tremendous uplifting of crustal material.
 

29. Mount Saint Helens was formed when the heavy crust of the Pacific Plate was subducted under the North American Plate, melted and the lighter materials try to float to the top.

True False

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The recent eruption of Mount Saint Helens is further proof that the lighter subducted material is continuing to rise.
 

30. The animation in NIH Image may be slowed down or sped up by using he number keys on the keyboard.

True False

feedback
Animation of stacks may be slowed down by using the lower numbers or speeded up by using the higher numbers.
 

31. The newest oceanic crust is found closest to mid-oceanic ridge.

True False

feedback
When the crustal plates spread apart due to the upwelling of material from the mantle, the material cools and forms a ridge on the ocean floor.
 

32. Pangea was:

a. an ancient volcano
b. a giant continent that began breaking up 200 million years ago
c. an ancient ocean that covered the earth
d. a fossil that was just recently discovered

feedback
The Continental Drift theory begins with a giant continent called Pangea that slowly began breaking into pieces that began moving relative to each other.
 

33. A transform boundary is formed when the edges of two crustal plates

a. slide laterally along each other.
b. move away from each other.
c. move towards each other.
d. do not move relative to each other.

feedback
Transform boundaries are formed when the edges of two crustal plates slide laterally along each other. When the edges of two plates move away from each other, a divergent boundary is formed. When the edges of two plates move towards each other, a convergent bounday is formed. The edges are always moving relative to each other, so (d) is not an acceptable answer.