WORKSHEETS

No. 1-7
Topics:
Plate tectonics
Plate Boundaries

Name:____________________________
Grade and Section: ___________________
Subject: Science 10 Quarter 1

Work sheet 1

1. You were provided with data showing the arrival time of the P and S-waves recorded from three seismic stations.
Which of these can you possibly determine?
a. the damage at the focus c. the intensity of the earthquake
b. the distance to the earthquake d. the location of the epicenter

2. From the seismogram, the distance to the epicenter can be determined by measuring
a. the arrival time of surface wave
b. the difference in the arrival times of the P and S-waves
c. the ratio of the amplitude of the largest P and S-waves
d. the speed of the surface wave

3. When two tectonic plates collide, the oceanic crust usually subducts beneath the continental crust because it is
a. denser than continental crust c. thicker than continental crust
b. less dense than continental crust d. thinner than continental crust

4. If you visit a place in the Pacific known to be along converging plates, which of these should you NOT expect to see?
a. active volcanoes c. rift valleys
b. mountain ranges d. volcanic islands

5. You are an oceanographer and want to map the ocean floor on the east coast of the Philippines. As you do your study,
you notice that there is a portion in the ocean floor which is relatively much deeper than the rest. What most likely is
that deeper part?
a. linear sea c. rift valley
b. oceanic ridge d. trench

6. What do you expect to find at a mid-ocean ridge?

a. relatively young rocks c. thick accumulation of sediments
b. reverse fault d. very ancient rocks

7. Crustal plate A is moving away from crustal plate B. What is the expected average rate of change in position between
A and B?
a. a few centimeters per year c. a few millimeters per century
b. a few meters per month d. a few millimeters per day

8. Which plate boundary is formed between the Philippine plate and the Eurasian plate?
a. convergent c. reverse fault
b. divergent d. transform fault

9. Which of these is false about lithosperic plates:

a. have the same thickness everywhere
b. include the crust and upper mantle
c. thickest in the mountain regions
d. vary in thickness

10.Which of these is NOT true about the Philippine islands?

a. most are part of the Philippine Mobile Belt, except for Palawan, Mindoro, and Zamboanga
b. formed because of the convergence of the Philippine plate and the Pacific plate
c. originated geologically in an oceanic-oceanic convergence
d. some are products of subduction process
Subject: Science 10 Quarter 1

Work sheet 2
Subject: Science 10 Quarter 1

Work sheet 3

1. What did Alfred Wegener notice about the outlines of the continents?

2. What was Pangaea?

3. What is Continental Drift?

4. What did Wegener notice about fossils on different continents?

5. What did Wegener propose after looking a rock sequences on different continents?

6. What are glacial striations?

7. What were the two choices Wegener saw concerning climate zones of the past?

8. What was the major problem with Wegener’s ideas?

9. What is thermal convection?

10. Describe the Earth’s core. What is the asthenosphere? What is the lithosphere?

11. Is oceanic crust or continental crust denser?

12. Where is new crust formed? Where does old crust go?

13. What observation has been made about the age of the basalt that forms a mid ocean ridge?

14. What causes the magnetic striping noticed about mid ocean ridges?
15. Where are most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanoes located?

16. Describe divergent plate boundaries.

17. Describe convergent plate boundaries. Name the three types.

18. Describe transform plate boundaries.

19. What is a rift zone?

20. What is a mid ocean ridge?

21. What is a subduction zone?

22. What happens when plates slide past each other?

Subject: Science 10 Quarter 1

Work sheet 4

Complete the following Table.

Plate Boundary Sketch Definition Real world Example

Convergent

Divergent

Transform

1. Which of the above boundaries can produce earthquakes? Which produces the largest earthquakes?

2. Which of the above boundaries can produce volcanoes?

3. At which of the above boundaries is sea floor created?

4. At which of the above boundaries is sea floor destroyed?

5. What are the three sub-types of convergent plate boundaries?

6. What is the most studied transform fault in the world?

Subject: Science 10 Quarter 1

Work sheet 5

1. Predict what geologic features could result out of this plate boundary (three possible answers).

2. In a hot spot, Volcano A is on top of the mantle plume, Volcano B is 10 km farther from A while Volcano C is the
farthest. What can you infer about the ages of the volcanoes?
a. Volcano A is older than C c. Volcano B is the youngest
b. Volcano B is the oldest d. Volcano B is younger than C

3. Right in the middle of an island, you can find a rift valley. What type of plate boundary exists on that island?
a. convergent c. normal fault
b. divergent d. transform fault

4. Plates A and B shows a divergent boundary. If plate C is adjacent to both plates and does not show any relative
motion, what type of plate boundary is present between A and C? __________________

5. What geologic event is most likely to happen at the given type of plate boundary in number 4?
a. earthquake c. rift valley formation
b. mountain formation d. volcanic eruption

6. You were asked to locate the epicenter of a recent earthquake. Which correct sequence of events should you follow?
i. Determine the difference in the arrival time of S and P waves recorded from each of the seismological stations.
ii. Use the triangulation method to locate the center.
iii. Obtain data from three different seismological stations.
iv. Determine the distance of the epicenter from the station.

a. i, iii, ii, iv b. iii, i, iv, ii c. iii, iv, i, ii d. iv, ii, i, iii

7. What do you expect to find parallel to a trench?

a. hot spot b. ocean ridge c. rift valley d. volcanic arc

Matching type: Match column A with columns B and C

A B C
Geologic Features/ Events
Type of Plate Boundary Relative Motion of the Plates
Present
8. Divergent from each other a. Moving away d. Earthquakes
e. Mountains, volcanoes,
9. Convergent b. Moving towards each other
trenches, and earthquakes
f. Rift valleys, oceanic ridges,
10. Transform fault c. Sliding past each other
and earthquakes
Subject: Science 10 Quarter 1

Work sheet 6

A. Choose the letter of the correct answer.

For questions 1 and 2, refer to the figure below that shows the cross section of the Earth as seismic waves travel through
it.

Seismic waves as they travel through the Earth

1. An S-wave shadow zone is formed as seismic waves travel through the Earth’s body. Which of the following
statements does this S-wave shadow zone indicate?
a. The inner core is liquid.
b. The inner core is solid.
c. The mantle is solid.
d. The outer core is liquid.

2. Why are there no P-waves or S-waves received in the P-wave shadow zone?
a. P-waves are absorbed, and S-waves are refracted by Earth’s outer core.
b. P-waves are refracted, and S-waves are absorbed by Earth’s outer core.
c. Both the P-waves and S-waves are refracted by Earth’s outer core.
d. Both the P-waves and S-waves are absorbed by Earth’s outer core.

3. What makes up the lithosphere?

a. Continental crust
b. Crust and the upper mantle
c. Oceanic crust and continental crust
d. Upper mantle

4. Miners dig into the Earth in search for precious rocks and minerals. In which layer is the deepest explorations made by
miners?
a. Crust c. Mantle
b. Inner core d. Outer core
5. How do you compare the densities of the Earth’s crust, mantle, and core?
a. The mantle is less dense than the core but denser than the crust.
b. The mantle is less dense than both the core and the crust.
c. The mantle is denser than the core but less dense than the crust.
d. The mantle is denser than both the core and the crust.

6. The movement of the lithospheric plates is facilitated by a soft, weak and plastic-like layer. Which of the following
layers is described in the statement?
a. Asthenosphere c. Lithosphere
b. Atmosphere d. Mantle

7. Alfred Wegener is a German scientist who hypothesized that the Earth was once made up of a single large landmass
called Pangaea. Which of the following theories did Wegener propose?

a. Continental Drift Theory

b. Continental Shift Theory
c. Plate Tectonics
d. Seafloor Spreading Theory
8. If you are a cartographer, what will give you an idea that the continents were once joined?
a. Ocean depth
b. Position of the south pole
c. Shape of the continents
d. Size of the Atlantic Ocean

9. Which observation was NOT instrumental in formulating the hypothesis of seafloor spreading?
a. Depth of the ocean
b. Identifying the location of glacial deposits
c. Magnetization of the oceanic crust
d. Thickness of seafloor sediments

10. As a new seafloor is formed at the mid-ocean ridge, the old seafloor farthest from the ridge is destroyed. Which of
the stated processes describes how the oceanic crust plunges into the Earth and destroyed at the mantle?
a. Convection
b. Construction
c. Diversion
d. Subduction

B. Answer briefly the following questions.

1. What are the different layers of the Earth?

2. Why is there a need to study the Earth’s layers?

3. What proves the existence of the boundary between the crust and the mantle?

4. What are the characteristics of the asthenosphere?

5. What do the shapes of the continents now tell us about their past?
Subject: Science 10 Quarter 1

Work sheet 7

1. In 1912, Alfred Wegener proposed a theory that the Earth is once a single landmass. What is the name of the
Mesozoic supercontinent that consisted of all of the present continents?
a. Eurasia
b. Laurasia
c. Pangaea
d. Gondwanaland

2. Who were the two scientists who proposed the theory of seafloor spreading in the early 1960s?
a. Charles Darwin and James Hutton
b. Harry Hess and Robert Dietz
c. John Butler and Arthur Smite
d. F. Vine and D. Mathews

3. Which of the following diagrams best illustrates the convection occurring in the mantle?

a. c.

b. d.

4. During the 1960s, scientists were already equipped with gadgets needed to explore the deep ocean. What discovery
about the ocean floor is associated with the seafloor spreading?
a. Mountains are denser than the mantle.
b. The rotational poles of the Earth have migrated.
c. The crust of the continents is more dense than the crust of the ocean.
d. The crust of the ocean is very young relative to the age of the crust of the continents.

5. If the Atlantic Ocean is widening at a rate of 3 cm per year, how far (in kilometers) will it spread in a million years?
a. 3 kilometers
b. 30 kilometers
c. 300 kilometers
d. 3000 kilometers

6. Which of the following increases with distance from a mid-ocean ridge?

a. the age of oceanic lithosphere
b. the thickness of the lithosphere
c. the depth to the sea floor
d. all of the above
7. Which of the following can you infer from the continuous movement of the lithospheric plates over the
asthenosphere?
a. All the continents will cease to exist.
b. All the volcanoes in the Philippines will become inactive.
c. The continents will not be located in the same place as they are now.
d. The islands of the Philippines will become scattered all over the world.
8. If all the inner layers of the Earth are firm solid, what could have happened to Pangaea?
a. It remained as a supercontinent.
b. It would have become as it is today.
c. It would have slowly disappeared in the ocean.
d. It would have stretched and covered the whole world.

9. Why does the oceanic crust sink beneath the continental crust at the
subduction zone?
a. The oceanic crust has a greater density.
b. The oceanic crust is pulled downward by Earth’s magnetic field.
c. The oceanic crust is pushed from the ridge.
d. The continental crust has a denser composition.

10. The lithospheric plates are believed to be moving slowly. What is the driving force that facilitates this movement?
a. gravitational force of the moon
b. magnetic force at the poles
c. convection current in the mantle
d. the force of the atmosphere