Earth Systems and Plate Tectonics Study Guide Name ______
6th Grade PSI
Pangaea
1. Who is Alfred Wegener?
2. Define continental drift:
3. Define plate tectonics:
4. What is the outermost layer of the Earth called?
5. What was Pangaea?
6. What role do fossils play in proving that Pangaea once existed?
7. What role do mountains play in proving that Pangaea once existed?
8. Was Pangaea the only supercontinent ever?
Energy Flow
9. What are two sources of the Earth’s energy?
10. Give three ways in which solar energy helps us on Earth:
11. Where does the heat inside of the Earth come from?
12. Define convection:
13. Rewrite the sentence and fill in the blanks – Warm air _____ and cool air ______.
14. Why does the warm material in the mantle rise? What causes this material to heat up?
15. Why does the cool material in the mantle sink? What causes this material to cool down?
Types of Plate Interactions
16. Where are the plates of the Earth located? (What is this section of the crust called?)
17. What happens at the following boundaries?
a. Convergent boundary –
b. Divergent boundary –
c. Transform boundary -
18. Define subduction. At what type of plate boundary would this happen?
19. The boundary between India and Asia is what type of plate boundary? How do you know this?
20. How is a mountain formed?
21. Define seafloor spreading:
22. A fault line will appear at what type of boundary?
Natural Disasters
23. Define earthquake –
24. Define epicenter –
25. What scale is used to measure earthquakes? What is the range of this scale (lowest to highest reading)?
26. Earthquakes form at what kind of boundary?
27. What is the fault line in California called?
28. Why are some earthquakes more powerful than others?
29. Can we predict when and where an earthquake will occur? Explain why or why not.
30. Define tsunami:
31. Tsunamis are a result of what other natural disaster?
32. How can people guard against tsunamis?
33. Define volcano:
34. Volcanoes can form at what two types of plate boundaries?
35. Define the following:
a. Active Volcano –
b. Extinct Volcano –
c. Dormant Volcano –
36. Where is the Ring of Fire located? What is important about this area?
www.njctl.org 6th Grade PSI Plate Tectonics & Natural Disasters