Name __________________________________ Period _____________ Date ______________
Marine Science: The History of the Ocean
Directions: Go to http://marinebio.org/Oceans/History/ and read the article provided. Use the
information and your knowledge of Marine Science to answer the following questions. Use
complete sentences for full credit!!
1. Why is geology very important to marine biology? (2 points)
2. What is paleontology? (2 points)
3. Our ocean covers what percentage of Earth? (2 points)
4. Describe the distribution of oceans and land in the northern and southern hemispheres
(4 points).
5. The deepest and largest ocean basin is the ________________________
6. Which ocean is the smallest and shallowest? (2 points)
7. The Earth and the rest of our solar system are thought to have originated how long ago?
(2 points)
8. Why was early Earth probably molten? (2 points)
9. What did an early molten Earth allow particles to do? (2 points)
10. What is density? (2 points)
11. How is the density of an object calculated? (2 points)
12. Describe the three main layers of Earth (6 points).
13. The geological distinction between ocean and continents is caused by what? (4 points)
14. What type of rock composes the ocean floor? (2 points)
15. What type of rock composes most of the continental crust? (2 points)
16. Describe the density relationship between oceanic and continental crust and the mantle
(6 points).
17. Compare the ages of oceanic and continental rock (4 points).
18. What is the mid-oceanic ridge system? (2 points)
19. Describe the process of plate tectonics (10 points).