Geol 101: Physical Geology
PAST EXAM QUESTIONS
LECTURE 3: PLATE TECTONICS I
3.
3.
3.
The theory of plate tectonics had its origin in the concept of ___________
introduced in 1910 by Alfred Wegener.
A. seafloor spreading
B. subduction
C. continental drift
D. paleomagnetic reversals
E. jigsaw geology
The first line of evidence used to promote continental drift was that…
A. paleomagnetic fields are not consistent with the modern day
magnetic field
B. the magnetic field underwent numerous reversals throughout
Earth’s history
C. the continents seems to fit together like pieces of a jigsaw
puzzle
D. lines of islands on moving plates formed above hotspots
E. scientists could tell that the continents are still moving today
Which of the following is NOT one of the lines of evidence initially used
to develop the theory of plate tectonics?
A. the shapes of the continents seem to fit so well together
B. there are similar fossils of plants and animals on different
continents
C. paleomagnetic poles do not match up unless the continents used
to be together
D. the geology matches up from one continent to another
E. there is clear evidence that the continents plowed their way
through ancient oceanic crust
3.
The supercontinent that broke apart to form Gondwana and Laurasia was
called:
A. Wegener
B. Pangea
C. Tethys
D. Panthalassa
E. Kattenhornia
3.
Plate tectonics theory suggests that the continents were once all combined
into a supercontinent called (1) __________, with the southern part called (2)
__________ and the northern part called
(3) __________.
A. (1) Pangea (2) Laurasia (3) Gondwana
B. (1) Pangea (2) Gondwana (3) Laurasia
C. (1) Pangea (2) Gondwana (3) Eurasia
D. (1) Gondwana (2) Laurentia (3) Pangea
E. (1) Gondwana (2) Pangea (3) Laurentia
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3.
South America and Africa do not fit together perfectly when matched up
across the Atlantic Ocean because:
A. they were never together to begin with
B. parts of the continents were long ago subducted
C. their shapes have changed since Pangea broke up
D. the magnetic field has changed since the breakup of the
continents
E. the true boundaries of the continents are actually 900m below
sea level
3.
If the coastlines of North America and Eurasia are matched up, the (1)
___________ mountains in North America match up with the (2) _________ in
Eurasia, suggesting that they used to be one continuous mountain range.
A. (1) Appalachians
(2) Caledonides
B. (1) Appalachians
(2) Alps
C. (1) Rockies
(2) Alps
D. (1) Rockies
(2) Caledonides
E. (1) Cascades
(2) Appalachians
3.
3.
Evidence that North America used to be connected to Europe is given by the
fact that the following two mountain chains seem to match up from one
continent to the other:
A. Rockies and Caledonides
B. Appalachians and Caledonides
C. Rockies and Himalayas
D. Appalachians and Himalayas
E. Appalachians and Alps
Which of the following continents is NOT considered to have been part of
Gondwana before it broke apart?
A. Africa
B. North America
C. South America
D. Australia
E. Antarctica
3.
One line of evidence that Africa and South America used to be one continent
is that they both show evidence of a type of plant called:
A. Cynognathus
B. Glossopteris
C. Lystrosaurus
D. Mesosaurus
E. Cycad
3.
One line of evidence that Africa and South America used to be one continent
is that they both show fossil evidence of a type of plant with large seeds.
This plant was called:
A. Cynognathus
B. Glossopteris
C. Tyrannosaurus
D. Mesosaurus
E. Alto Redwood
3. Africa and South America both contains fossils of a type of freshwater
reptile called:
2
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Cynognathus
Glossopteris
Tyrannosaurus
Mesosaurus
Kattenhornus
3. Africa and South America both show fossil evidence of a type of freshwater
reptile called:
A. Simonsaurus
B. Glossopteris
C. Tyrannosaurus
D. Mesosaurus
E. Barney
3.
Which of the following is NOT considered to be a part of Gondwana?
A. Asia
B. Africa
C. India
D. Australia
E. Antarctica
3.
Which of the following continents does NOT show evidence of an ice age
during the Carboniferous because it was part of Laurasia in northern Pangea
and so was near to the equator?
A. North America
B. Africa
C. India
D. Australia
E. Antarctica
3.
Although Pangea’s southern Gondwana continents contain evidence of an ice
age during the Carboniferous Period, there are no equivalent aged glacial
deposits in the northern Laurasia continents because:
A. Gondwana was near the south pole in the Carboniferous, but
Laurasia was near the equator
B. Laurasia was near the south pole in the Carboniferous, but
Gondwana was near the equator
C. the glacial deposits in Gondwana did not form in the
Carboniferous after all
D. Laurasia did not exist during the Carboniferous
E. we haven’t looked hard enough for glacial deposits in Laurasia
3.
Which of the following is good evidence that South America and Africa were
once joined together?
A. they both show evidence of an ice age during the Carboniferous
Period
B. the shapes of their coastlines are very similar
C. they have similar distributions of rocks that are about 550
million years old
D. they both contain fossils of a type of plant species called
Glossopteris
E. all of the above
3.
Which of the following is NOT one of the lines of evidence that South
America and Africa were once joined together?
3
A.
they both show evidence of tropical climates in the south during
the Carboniferous to Permian Periods
B. the shapes of their coastlines are very similar
C. they have similar distributions of rocks that are about 550
million years old
D. they both contain fossils of a type of plant species called
Glossopteris
E. they have similar-aged glacial evidence and consistent glacier flow
directions
3.
Modern day northern hemisphere continents have a lot of coal that is
Carboniferous in age. Keeping this in mind, which of the following statements
is FALSE?
A. there were a lot of swampy areas during the Carboniferous
B. there was an ice age during the Carboniferous
C. the northern hemisphere continents were closer to the equator in
the Carboniferous
D. the coal could have formed with the continents at their current
latitudes
E. Laurasia and Gondwana had very different climates during the
Carboniferous
3.
North America and Europe seem to show different paleomagnetic north pole
locations for similar-aged rocks. The reason for this is:
A. there was more than one north pole when these rocks formed
B. the pole was wandering around so the paleomagnetic record is
inaccurate
C. North America and Europe used to be together, so the poles are
actually the same
D. the rocks on each continent cannot be similar in age, as was
originally thought
E. the true edge of the continents is somewhere beneath the
continental slope
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