Plate Tectonic Preassessment
Name: __________________
Period: ___________
1. Explain what texture tells us about the history of an igneous rock. (Give
examples)
2. Explain what composition tells us about the history of an igneous rock. (Give
examples)
3. Pick any 3 sedimentary rocks and explain how the properties of each one tell us
about the environment the rock was deposited in.
A.
B.
C.
4. Briefly outline the theory of plate tectonics. (Continental Drift)
5. Explain what causes the earth’s crustal plates to break up and then move apart.
6. Explain why earthquakes are shallow long coastlines and deeper inland.
For each of the 3 plate boundary types list the geologic processes, structures, and
events you might encounter.
Plate Boundary
Type
Continental
plate collides
with an oceanic
plate
Two continental
plates collide
Two plates
move side by
side
Geologic
Processes
Geologic
Structures
Geologic Event