Name: __________________________

Block: ___________________

Science 10 Midterm

Plate Tectonics

IB Level

IB Descriptors

(from subject guide)What do I have to do?

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i. describe scientific knowledge ii. apply scientific knowledge and understanding to solve

problems set in familiar and unfamiliar situations iii. analyze information to make scientifically supported

judgments.

Levels 1-6 plus:

- Apply your knowledge to solving problems in a new context.

- Analyze and evaluate information presented to you, supporting your answers with scientific

knowledge and judgment

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i. outline scientific knowledge ii. apply scientific knowledge and understanding to solve

problems set in familiar situations and suggest solutions to problems set in unfamiliar situations

iii. interpret information to make scientifically supported judgments.

Level 1-4 plus:

- give correct, longer-answered (explained) answers, showing understanding, not just memory.

- Solve problems that you may have experienced before (or similar).

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i. state scientific knowledge ii. apply scientific knowledge and understanding to solve

problems set in familiar situations iii. apply information to make scientifically supported

judgments.

Level 1-2 plus:

- give correct, longer-answered (explained) answers, showing understanding, not just memory.

- Solve problems that you may have experienced before (or similar).

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i. recall scientific knowledge ii. apply scientific knowledge and understanding to

suggest solutions to problems set in familiar situations

iii. apply information to make judgments.

. Correctly answer simple vocab, multi-choice or labeling questions.

0 Has not achieved the above criteria Forget everything you’ve studied

POST-TEST REFLECTION

How long did I spend preparing for this test? What revision techniques did I use in my study?

Which question(s) did I find the most challenging? Why?

Did I make any ‘silly’ mistakes in this test? Where? Why? How can I prevent this happening again?

Given the same questions again, could I improve my score? How would I do this?

What will I remember for future unit tests/ exams?

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i. Knowledge: Can you explain your scientific knowledge?Le

vel 1

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Reca

llCorrect Letter 1. What evidence was not used by Alfred Wegener to design his

continental drift theory?A. the jigsaw puzzle fit of the continentsB. similar fossils on distant continentsC. matching rock types on continents on opposite sides of the oceanD. coal deposits on the continent of Antarctica

2. Which of the following best explains the concept of plate tectonics?A. Pieces of continents “float” over the liquid mantle.B. Continents on lithospheric plates move by convection currents in the asthenosphere.C. Continents in the asthenosphere move across the partly molten lithosphere.D. Continental plates move by convection currents in the outer core.

3. What name is given to a line of volcanoes that are not found near a plate boundary?A. hot spotsB. composite conesC. rift eruptionsD. subduction zones

4. Which of the following geological features are associated with the collision of an oceanic plate with a continental plate?A. earthquakes and volcanoesB. mountains and volcanoesC. earthquakes and mountainsD. earthquakes, mountains, and volcanoes

5. Where is a shield volcano most likely to occur?A. in a mountain rangeB. at a spreading ridgeC. over a hot spotD. under a subduction zone

6. Which of the following usually has the most violent volcanic eruptions?A. rift volcanoesB. shield volcanoesC. composite volcanoes

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Out

line

Use the diagram below to answer the following question.

7. For each process listed in the table, give the letter of the location shown on the diagram and a brief description of the process.

Process Location Description

Convection

Slab pull

Ridge push

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Desc

ribe

8. Compare and contrast the ground motion of a P-wave and an S-wave

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Expl

ain

9. The ages of seafloor rocks and sediments show a regular pattern around a spreading ridge. Describe the pattern and how this provides evidence for plate tectonics.

ii. Problem Solving: Can you apply scientific understanding

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Situ

ation

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Correct letter 10.What piece of evidence is the best clue to suggest Antarctica was once

located closer to the equator than it is now?A. its shapeB. Its average temperature is warmer in December than July.C. Fossils of tropical plants have been found there.D. All kinds of life currently exist on Antarctica.

11. Using your data booklet, what will happen between the African and the Arabian Plate? A. Sea water will flood the East African Rift Zone. B. A subduction zone will form between them. C. Volcanic activity in the East African Rift Zone will stop. D. The Arabian Plate will move south along transform faults.

12. Identify the process and feature at the East Pacific Rise. A. slab pull mid-ocean ridge B. slab pull deep-ocean trench C. ridge push mid-ocean ridge D. ridge push deep-ocean trench

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Situ

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Use the following diagram to answer question 13.

a. Describe four pieces of evidence from the diagram to suggest these continents were once together as part of a single supercontinent.

b. Using evidence from the diagram, suggest how long ago the supercontinent began breaking apart.

14. Compare and contrast a composite volcano with a rift eruption.

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15. The Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii is a research facility run by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The graph below shows the average change in apparent solar transmission (how much sunlight can enter through our atmosphere) as measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory from 1958 to 2002. The graph also shows the timing of three volcanic eruptions: Mount Agung (1963), El Chichon (1982), and Mount Pinatubo (1991). Why did the temperature drop so much in 1982?

16. A geologist studying ancient lava flows in central British Columbia discovers three different layers of flows, one on top of the other. She analyzes samples of each flow and determines that the middle flow has a magnetic orientation exactly opposite to that of the flows above and below it. What can she conclude from her observation?

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17. The moon, though smaller than the earth, has a much thicker lithosphere: the moon’s radius is only 1, 740 km, yet its lithosphere is about 1,000 km thick. Would you expect plate-tectonic activity and subduction to occur on the moon as they do on earth? Why or why not?

iii. Evaluating Evidence: Can you be given information and making scientifically supported judgments?

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Use the following to answer the next question

18.How far in kilometers does each of the following seismic waves travel in 8 min?

(a)

Wave Distance travelled in 8 min

(i) P-wave

(ii) S-wave

(iii) L-wave

(b) Imagine a seismometer station 4000 km away from an earthquake epicentre.

How long after the arrival of a P-wave would an S-wave arrive? __________

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supp

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19. Convection cells in the asthenosphere may drive plate motion. Explain.

20. Deep focus earthquakes are confined to subduction zones. Why?

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Anal

yze

21. Compare what happens at a continent-continent convergent plate boundary with what happens at a continent-ocean convergent plate boundary. How does this help to account for the relative youth of the sea floor? Use diagrams to help in your explanation

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22. The data table below gives the ages of the Galapagos Islands chain of hot spot volcanoes. Distances are measured from the youngest island, South Plaza.

Island Name Distance in kilometers eastward from the youngest island in the west (Darwin Island)

Estimated Age in Millions of years.

South Plaza 550 4.3Espanola 402 3.2Santa Fe 330 2.7San Cristobal 277 2.4Balta 190 1.5Darwin 0 0.7

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a. Plot the age of each island (x-axis) versus the distance (y-axis) for each island. Connect the points with a line of best fit and title your graph.

b. What do you notice about the trend shown in your graph?

c. About what age would you expect an island to be if it were located 250 km eastward of Darwin Island?

d. The Galapagos Islands were formed when the Nazca plate passed over a hot spot. Magma broke through a weak part of the lithosphere, forming the chain of islands. Calculate the average rate of plate movement in km/million years by determining slope of the line. Show your work!

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