5.

1
Questions
Checkpoint

Continents that move!

1. Outline five pieces of evidence that suggest the continents
were once joined.
1. Old fossils of the same plants and reptiles were found across the
southern continents, which implies that they could have started as a
single continent and then been transported around the world when
it split.
2. The mountains of North America match with mountains in northwestern Europe, and Africa matches with South America. The
magnetic rocks point in different directions, but match up if the
continents are put together.
3. Glaciers left valleys and debris across many continents, and some
are now too warm to produce glaciers, which suggests that the
continents moved from a colder climate.
4. Coal is formed from decomposed plants, and above the Arctic
Circle, it is too cold for plants to grow. However, coal was found
there, which shows that those regions could have shifted from one
with a warmer climate.
5. Old magnetic rocks found in North and South America have their
north poles pointed in different directions.
2. Identify the land masses thought to have made up:
a. Gondwana
Australia, Antarctica, South America, Africa and India
b. Laurasia
North America, Europe and most of Asia

Evidence from below!

3. List five surprising facts discovered when the ocean floor
was first mapped.
1. Underwater volcanic mountain ranges run down the centre of the
oceans. The longest is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is 65,000
km long.
2. The rocks of the ocean floor are much younger than the rock of
the continents.
3. Ocean trenches can be incredible deep, the deepest goes over
11km down.
4. Continental rock is less dense than the rock of the ocean floor,
and seems to float on it.

5. The rocks on the ocean floor have magnetic stripes which

indicate that the youngest rocks are next to the ridges and the
oldest next to the trenches.
4. Identify the locations of the oldest and youngest rocks on
the ocean floor.
The youngest rocks are next to the ridges and the oldest next to the
trenches.
Floating plates
5. Define the following terms:
a. Tectonic plate
The rigid slabs of lithosphere that float on the slowly moving
asthenosphere, with the continents sitting on them.
b. Mantle
The rocks that make up the solid upper mantle and fluid-like
lower mantle.
c. Crust
The outermost layer of the earth, overlying the mantle.
6. State how thick the crust is.
The crust ranges from 20km to 50km deep in different places.
7. Explain the Theory of Plate Tectonics.
The Theory of Plate Tectonics is a theory that the continents sit on
top of tectonic plate, which are made of rigid rocks in the
lithosphere, and float on the fluid-like rock of the asthenosphere.
This causes the movement of the continents, e.g. splitting from a
supercontinent of Pangaea into the smaller continents of today.
8. Discuss what causes convection currents and identify where
they are thought to occur.
Convection currents are caused by hot substances rising and
pushing cooler substances down. They are thought to occur in the
mantle, where the hot molten rock rises upwards from the bottom
and cools from the contact with the cool crust, sinking back down
when it is cooled.

Think
9. Copy the following and modify any incorrect statements so they
become true.
a. Triassic reptiles could have swum the distances required to
populate different continents.
Triassic reptiles could not have swum the distances required to
populate different continents.
b. There are similar mountain ranges in the USA and Africa,
and also in Europe and South America.

There are similar mountain ranges in eastern North America and

north-western Europe, and also in Africa and South America.
c. Continents that do not have glaciers now have always been
too warm to have them.
Continents that do not have glaciers now could have been cold
enough to have had them in the past.
d. Coal deposits above the Arctic Circle suggest that the land
floated there from warmer climates.
Coal deposits above the Arctic Circle suggest that the land floated
there from warmer climates.
e. The rock of the ocean floor and that of the continents are
the same age.
The rock of the ocean floor is much younger than the rocks of the
continents.
f. Continental rock is denser than the rock of the ocean floor.
Continental rock is less dense than the rock of the ocean floor.
g. Magnetic stripes on the ocean floor suggest that new rock is
made along mid-ocean ridges.
Magnetic stripes on the ocean floor suggest that new rock is made
next to the ridges.
10.
Temperatures along the ridges are higher than elsewhere in
the ocean. Propose why.
Magnetic stripes along oceanic rock suggest that new rock is made next to
the ridges, which is a possible explanation for the temperatures along the
ridges being higher than elsewhere in the ocean. The new rock forming
and cooling would elevate the temperatures of the surrounding areas.
11.
Draw a diagram to illustrate the convection currents in an
oven.

12.
Explain what keeps the mantle from cooling down and
becoming solid.
The pressure and temperature keep the asthenosphere from cooling
enough to become solid.
13.
Assess what would happen to the plates if the
asthenosphere below them cooled and became solid.
If the asthenosphere cooled, the plates would merge with the cooled rock
and would no longer move.
14.Plate tectonics explain why Australia once had glaciers but
doesnt have any now. Propose another possible reason for this
phenomenon.
Another possible reason for Australia once having glaciers could be that
the temperature of the earth used to be cooler when Australia had formed,
and the globe has warmed enough now that Australia is incapable of
having glaciers.