391
Companion Website
Some predict that California will sink into the ocean. Is this idea
consistent with the theory of plate tectonics? Explain.
Refer to the accompanying hypothetical plate map to answer the
following questions:
a. Portions of how many plates are shown?
b. Are continents A, B, and C moving toward or away from each
other? How did you determine your answer?
c. Explain why active volcanoes are found on both continent A and
continent B.
d. Why does continent C lack active volcanoes? Provide at least one
scenario in which volcanic activity might be triggered on this
continent.
4
3
Volcanoes, such as the Hawaiian chain, that form over mantle
plumes are some of the largest on Earth. However, several
volcanoes on Mars are gigantic compared to those on Earth.
What does this difference tell us about how, or if, the process of
plate motion operates on Mars? Explain.
Imagine you are studying seafloor spreading along two different
oceanic ridges. Along the first ridge the magnetic stripes are uniformly narrow. Along the second ridge they are wide near the ridge
crest, but they become narrower as you move away from the crest.
What can you say about the history of motion in each example?
Australian marsupials (kangaroos, koala bears, etc.) have direct fossil
links to marsupial opossums found in the Americas. Yet the modern
marsupials in Australia are markedly different from their American
relatives. How does the break-up of Pangaea help to explain these
differences (see Figure 15.26)?
Density is a key component in the behavior of Earth materials and is
especially important in understanding key aspects of plate tectonics.
Describe three different ways that density and /or density differences play a role in plate tectonics.
Refer to the accompanying map to complete the following:
a. List the cities (in pairs) that are moving farther apart as a result of
plate motion.
b. List the cities (in pairs) that are moving closer together as a result
of plate motion.
c. List the cities (in pairs) that are presently not moving relative to
each other.
9
8
7
6
5
Companion Website
www.mygeoscienceplace.com
The Essentials of Geology, 11e companion Website contains numerous multimedia resources accompanied by assessments
to aid in your study of the topics in this chapter. The use of this site's learning tools will help improve your understanding
of geology. Utilizing the access code that accompanies this text, visit www.mygeoscienceplace.com in order to:
• Review key chapter concepts.
• Read with links to the Pearson eText and to chapter-specific web resources.
• Visualize and comprehend challenging topics using the learning activities in GEODe: Essentials of Geology and the
Geoscience Animations Library.
• Test yourself with online quizzes.
Companion Website
Some predict that California will sink into the ocean. Is this idea
consistent with the theory of plate tectonics? Explain.
Refer to the accompanying hypothetical plate map to answer the
following questions:
a. Portions of how many plates are shown?
b. Are continents A, B, and C moving toward or away from each
other? How did you determine your answer?
c. Explain why active volcanoes are found on both continent A and
continent B.
d. Why does continent C lack active volcanoes? Provide at least one
scenario in which volcanic activity might be triggered on this
continent.
4
3
Volcanoes, such as the Hawaiian chain, that form over mantle
plumes are some of the largest on Earth. However, several
volcanoes on Mars are gigantic compared to those on Earth.
What does this difference tell us about how, or if, the process of
plate motion operates on Mars? Explain.
Imagine you are studying seafloor spreading along two different
oceanic ridges. Along the first ridge the magnetic stripes are uniformly narrow. Along the second ridge they are wide near the ridge
crest, but they become narrower as you move away from the crest.
What can you say about the history of motion in each example?
Australian marsupials (kangaroos, koala bears, etc.) have direct fossil
links to marsupial opossums found in the Americas. Yet the modern
marsupials in Australia are markedly different from their American
relatives. How does the break-up of Pangaea help to explain these
differences (see Figure 15.26)?
Density is a key component in the behavior of Earth materials and is
especially important in understanding key aspects of plate tectonics.
Describe three different ways that density and /or density differences play a role in plate tectonics.
Refer to the accompanying map to complete the following:
a. List the cities (in pairs) that are moving farther apart as a result of
plate motion.
b. List the cities (in pairs) that are moving closer together as a result
of plate motion.
c. List the cities (in pairs) that are presently not moving relative to
each other.
9
8
7
6
5
Companion Website
www.mygeoscienceplace.com
The Essentials of Geology, 11e companion Website contains numerous multimedia resources accompanied by assessments
to aid in your study of the topics in this chapter. The use of this site's learning tools will help improve your understanding
of geology. Utilizing the access code that accompanies this text, visit www.mygeoscienceplace.com in order to:
• Review key chapter concepts.
• Read with links to the Pearson eText and to chapter-specific web resources.
• Visualize and comprehend challenging topics using the learning activities in GEODe: Essentials of Geology and the
Geoscience Animations Library.
• Test yourself with online quizzes.