Name: _______________________________________________ Period: _________ Date: ________________
Plate Tectonics Study Guide
TEST/SUMMATIVE on Friday, November 22nd Parent Signature: ________________________________
Directions: Use your ISN, activities, and homework to complete the review sheet below.
PART 1: Using notecards, make flash cards for the terms below. Write the word(s) on the front of the card and
the definition/explanation on the back of the card.
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Inner core – dense ball of very hot metals, made mostly of iron and nickel (1300 miles), solid due to
high pressure
Outer Core – dense ball of very hot metals, made mostly of iron and nickel (1400 miles), liquid due to
high temperature
Mantle – thick layer of hot, mostly solid rock (1800 miles) – has convection currents
Crust - thin, rocky, outer layer of the Earth (3-25 miles)
Transform boundary – a type of plate boundary where the plates scrape across each other in opposite
directions
Divergent boundary – a type of plate boundary where the plates pull apart
Convergent: subduction boundary – a type of plate boundary where the plates push together and one
plate goes under the other
Convergent: buckling boundary – a type of plate boundary where the plates push together and both
go up (usually two continental plates)
Sediment – small pieces of rock
Igneous rock – a type of rock that’s made from cooled, hardened magma
Sedimentary rock – a type of rock that is made from small pieces of rock (sediment) that are pressed
together (compacted) in layers
Metamorphic rock – a type of rock that is made when igneous or sedimentary rock is changed by
heat and pressure
Erosion/weathering – where rocks are worn down by air/wind or water  turns rocks into sediment
Compaction – when sediments are squeezed or pressed together with pressure over time
Deposition – when material (like sediment) is added to an area
EXAMPLE:
FRONT SIDE (word)
Transform
Boundary
BACK SIDE (definition)
A boundary where
plates scrape across
each other in opposite
directions
PART 2: Answer the following questions. Please use complete sentences and restate the question in your
answer.
1. Draw a diagram of the four different layers of the Earth. Label the layers and write their composition and
state of matter.
Crust – thin layer of solid rock
Mantle – mostly solid but
has some hot, flowing rock/magma
(convection currents)
Outer Core – Liquid iron and nickel
Inner Core – Solid iron and nickel
2. Explain what convection currents are and include a color drawing.
Convection currents is a cycle where hot magma rises, and then it cools and sinks – this is what moves the
plates.
3. Using the map of the world below, conclude where the majority of volcanoes and earthquakes occur
(represented by black dots on the map).
The majority of the volcanoes and earthquakes appear to occur on or near plate boundaries – where two
tectonic plates meet.
4 – 11. Fill out the chart below about plate boundaries. Be able to compare and contrast them on the test.
Type of Boundary
Draw a diagram/picture that shows
how the plates move
4.
5. Trenches, earthquakes, and volcanoes
occur because when one plate goes under
the other, the pressure forces the magma
up. Also, the friction of the plates can
cause earthquakes.
6.
7. Mountains occur because the crust is
pushed up by the buckling.
8.
9. Mid-ocean ridges and rift valleys occur
because where the plates pull apart, a
large gap grows between them. This
creates new sea floor in the ocean.
10.
11. Earthquakes happen because when
the plates slide past each other, pressure
builds up, and when the plates slip, it
causes the ground to shake.
Convergent
Boundary
(subduction)
Convergent
Boundary (buckling)
Divergent Boundary
Transform
Boundary
What geologic activity occurs
here and why
12. At divergent boundary on the ocean floor, new crust is created – explain how/why that happens. Include a drawing
to support your answer.
On the ocean floor, new crust is created when plates
diverge (pull apart) because magma from the mantle
is forced up between the plates. It then cools, hardens,
and turns into new crust.
13. Summarize three of the pieces of evidence that led Alfred Wegener to develop the theory of plate
tectonics. (Hint: Use your Pangaea puzzle activity)
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The shape of the continents appear to fit together, especially South America and Africa
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Fossils from the same dinosaur species, Cynognathus and Mesosaurus, were found on multiple
continents
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Fossils from the same plant species, Glossopteris fern, were found on multiple continents
14. Explain what Pangaea was and make a prediction about the movement of the tectonic plates in the future.
Scientists hypothesize that millions of years ago there was a large land mass or super-continent called
Pangaea. They believe that all of the continents used to be connected and have moved apart throughout
history. In the future, many believe that they will continue to move in the same direction and eventually meet
on the other side of the planet.
PART 3: Complete the rock cycle diagram.
*NOTE: The numbers below match the STAGE of the numbered process in the diagram above.
1. Explain WHERE the process from MAGMA to IGNEOUS ROCK could occur. Igneous rock occurs near a
volcano, seafloor spreading, or a subduction zone.
3. Explain HOW the process from IGNEOUS ROCK to SEDIMENT occurs. Weathering (wind, freezing,
snow, glaciers) and erosion, breaks down rock into pieces called sediment.
4. Explain HOW the process from SEDIMENT to SEDIMENTARY ROCK occurs. Through deposition (moving
sediment to area), compaction, and cementation, sedimentary rock forms.
4. Explain WHERE the process from SEDIMENT to SEDIMENTARY ROCK could occur. The formation of
sedimentary rock occurs near water sources. Example: ocean floor.