Plate Tectonics Quiz

Try out this Plate Tectonics quiz to test your knowledge. Plate Tectonics trivia explores the theory that Earth’s lithosphere is broken into moving plates, a framework that transformed geology in the 1960s by explaining earthquakes, volcanoes, and continental drift.

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15 questions

~3 min to finish

Easy to hard difficulty

550 pts max score

Question 1 · Medium · 20 pts
Earth science finally made things official with plate tectonics in what era—when bell-bottoms were also having a moment?
Question 2 · Hard · 40 pts
What is the name of the seismic boundary that separates Earth's crust from its mantle?
Question 3 · Hard · 40 pts
Granite-rich rocks are especially common in which major crustal domain?
Question 4 · Hard · 40 pts
Which line of evidence was especially important in establishing plate tectonics by recording past magnetic fields?
Question 5 · Hard · 40 pts
The alternating magnetic patterns preserved in oceanic crust tend to lie in what orientation relative to mid-ocean ridges?
Question 6 · Hard · 40 pts
Deep-focus earthquakes are most characteristically linked to what tectonic setting?
Question 7 · Hard · 40 pts
In the term 'Wadati-Benioff zone,' the 'Benioff' honors which seismologist?
Question 8 · Hard · 40 pts
Which plate-driving force is widely regarded as a major contributor to plate motions because sinking slabs help pull plates along?
Question 9 · Hard · 40 pts
What is the name for the gravity-driven sliding force acting away from the elevated topography of mid-ocean ridges?
Question 10 · Hard · 40 pts
Which proposed mechanism involves circulation within Earth's mantle as a contributor to plate motion?
Question 11 · Hard · 40 pts
What kind of basin can develop behind certain volcanic arcs?
Question 12 · Hard · 40 pts
Slices of oceanic crust and upper mantle thrust onto land are known by what name?
Question 13 · Hard · 40 pts
What term describes the geologic opening and closing of ocean basins through time?
Question 14 · Hard · 40 pts
If you travel outward from a mid-ocean ridge across the seafloor, what general trend do you expect in the crust's age?
Question 15 · Easy · 10 pts
Plate tectonics says Earth’s lithosphere is broken into what?

Earth science finally made things official with plate tectonics in what era—when bell-bottoms were also having a moment?

What is the name of the seismic boundary that separates Earth's crust from its mantle?

Granite-rich rocks are especially common in which major crustal domain?

Which line of evidence was especially important in establishing plate tectonics by recording past magnetic fields?

The alternating magnetic patterns preserved in oceanic crust tend to lie in what orientation relative to mid-ocean ridges?

Deep-focus earthquakes are most characteristically linked to what tectonic setting?

In the term 'Wadati-Benioff zone,' the 'Benioff' honors which seismologist?

Which plate-driving force is widely regarded as a major contributor to plate motions because sinking slabs help pull plates along?

What is the name for the gravity-driven sliding force acting away from the elevated topography of mid-ocean ridges?

Which proposed mechanism involves circulation within Earth's mantle as a contributor to plate motion?

What kind of basin can develop behind certain volcanic arcs?

Slices of oceanic crust and upper mantle thrust onto land are known by what name?

What term describes the geologic opening and closing of ocean basins through time?

If you travel outward from a mid-ocean ridge across the seafloor, what general trend do you expect in the crust's age?

Plate tectonics says Earth’s lithosphere is broken into what?