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Earth & Space ScienceGrade 6-8

Plate Tectonics Answer Key

Explore how tectonic plates move and interact to create earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain ranges.

Looking for Plate Tectonics answers? This complete answer key provides verified solutions for all student exploration activities and assessment questions in the ExploreLearning Plate Tectonics Gizmo.

100% Free • Step-by-step explanations • Perfect for homework help • Covers all activities • Updated for 2026

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Prior Knowledge Questions

Q1.What is the outermost layer of the Earth called?

Answer

The outermost layer is called the crust (or lithosphere when combined with the upper mantle).

Q2.What causes tectonic plates to move?

Answer

Tectonic plates move due to convection currents in the mantle caused by heat from Earth's core.

Q3.Name the three types of plate boundaries.

Answer

Convergent (plates collide), divergent (plates move apart), and transform (plates slide past each other).

Activity A – Plate Boundaries

Q4.What landform is created when two continental plates collide?

Q5.What happens at a divergent boundary?

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