QUESTION BANK

CHAPTER 4
DISTRIBUTION OF OCEANS AND CONTINENTS

1. What were the forces suggested by Wegener for the movement of the continents?
Ans - Wegener suggested that the movement responsible for the drifting of the continents was caused by
two forces.
a) Pole-fleeing force and
b) Tidal force.
The polar-fleeing force relates to the rotation of the earth. The earth is not a perfect sphere; it has a bulge
at the equator. This bulge is due to the rotation of the earth.
The tidal force is due to the attraction of the moon and the sun that develops tides in oceanic waters.
Wegener believed that these forces would become effective when applied over many million years.
2. How are the convectional currents in the mantle initiated and maintained?
Ans – a) Arthur Holmes in 1930s discussed the possibility of convection currents operating in the mantle
portion. These currents are generated due to radioactive elements causing thermal differences in the
mantle portion.
b) According to Holmes, there exists a system of such currents in the entire mantle portion. This was
an attempt to provide an explanation to the issue of force, on the basis of which contemporary
scientists discarded the continental drift theory.

3. What is the major difference between the transform boundary and the convergent or divergent
boundaries of plates?
Ans - The major difference between the transform boundary and the convergent or divergent boundaries
of plates are as follows:

Transform Boundaries: Where the crust is neither produced nor destroyed as the plates slide horizontally
past each other.
Convergent Boundaries: Where the crust is destroyed as one plate dived under another, it is called
convergent boundaries.
Divergent Boundaries: Where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each other, these are
called divergent boundaries.

4. What was the location of the Indian landmass during the formation of the Deccan Traps?
Ans – a) About 140 million years before the present, the subcontinent was located as south as 50°S
latitude. During the movement of the Indian plate towards the Asiatic plate, a major event that occurred
was the outpouring of lava and formation of the Deccan Traps. This started somewhere around 60 million
years ago and continued for a long period of time. Note that the subcontinent was still close to the equator.
b) From 40 million years ago and thereafter, the event of formation of the Himalayas took place. Scientists
believe that the process is still continuing and the height of the Himalayas is rising even to this date.

5. The rate of plate movement varies considerably. Justify.

Answer: The strips of normal and reverse magnetic field that parallel the mid-oceanic ridges help scientists
determine the rates of plate movement. These rates vary considerably.

Slowest Rate: The Arctic Ridge has the slowest rate. It is less than 2.5 cm/yr.
Fastest Rate: The East Pacific rise near Easter Island, in the South Pacific about 3,400 km west of Chile, has
the fastest rate. It is more than 15 cm/yr.

6. What are the evidences in support of the continental drift theory?

Ans- A variety of evidence was offered in support of the continental drift. Some of these are given below:
1. The Matching of Continents (Jig-Saw-Fit): The shorelines of Africa and South America facing each other
have a remarkable and unmistakable match.

2. Rocks of Same Age Across the Oceans: The belt of ancient rocks of 2,000 million years from Brazil coast
matches with those from western Africa. The earliest marine deposits along the coastline of South America
and Africa are of the Jurassic age. This suggests that the ocean did not exist prior to that time.

3. Tillite: It is the sedimentary rock formed out of deposits of glaciers. The Gondawana system of sediments
from India is known to have its counter parts in six -different landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere. At
the base the system has thick tillite indicating extensive and prolonged glaciation. Counter parts of this
succession are found in Africa, Falkland Island, Madagascar, Antarctica and Australia besides India. Overall
resemblance of the Gondawana type sediments clearly demonstrates that these landmasses had
remarkably similar histories.

4. Placer Deposits: The occurrence of rich placer deposits of gold in the Ghana coast and the absolute
absence of source rock in the region is an amazing fact. The gold bearing veins are in Brazil and it is obvious
that the gold deposits of the Ghana are derived from the Brazil . plateau when the two continents lay side
by side.

5. Distribution of Fossils: The observations that Lemurs occur in India, Madagascar and Africa led some to
consider a contiguous landmass “Lemuria” linking these three landmasses. Mesosaurus was a small reptile
adapted to shallow brackish water. The skeletons of these are found only in two localities : the Southern
Cape province of South Africa and Iraver formations of Brazil. The two localities presently are 4,800 km
apart with an ocean in between them.
 7. Bring about the basic difference between the drift theory and Plate tectonics.
Ans- Continental Drift theory: Alfred Wegener a German meteorologist put forth “the continental drift
theory”. According to him, all continents formed a single continental mass called PANGAEA .All oceans
formed a single universal ocean called PANTHALASSA. He argued that, around 200 million years ago, the
super continent, Pangaea, began to split. Pangaea first broke into two large continental masses as Laurasia
and Gondwanaland forming the northern and southern components respectively. Subsequently, Laurasia
and Gondwanaland continued to break into various smaller continents that exist today.

Plate Tectonics: This theory emerged in 1967, by McKenzie and Parker and also Morgan. A tectonic plate
is also called lithospheric plate. It is a massive, irregularly-shaped slab of solid rock, generally composed
of both continental and oceanic lithosphere. Plates move horizontally over the asthenosphere as rigid
units. The lithosphere includes the crust and top mantle with its thickness range varying between 5-100 km
in oceanic parts and about 200 km in the continental areas. Pacific plate is largely an oceanic plate whereas
the Eurasian plate may be called a continental plate. The theory of plate tectonics proposes that the earth’s
lithosphere is divided into seven major and some minor plates.

8. Explain the hypothesis, known as the “sea floor spreading” given by Hess.
Answer:
a) Hess argued that constant eruptions at the crest of oceanic ridges cause the rupture of the oceanic
crust forces and the new lava wedges into it, pushing the oceanic crust on either side. The ocean
floor, thus spreads. Two facts made Hess think about the consumption of the oceanic crust.
 The younger age of the oceanic crust
 The spreading of one ocean does not cause the shrinking of the other.
b) He further maintained that the ocean floor that gets pushed due to volcanic eruptions at the crest,
sinks down at the oceanic trenches and gets consumed.

9. What information do we get from the mapping of the ocean floor and palaeomagnetic studies of
rocks from oceanic regions?
Answer:
The mapping of the ocean floor and palaeomagnetic studies of rocks from oceanic regions gave following
information:

a) Along the mid-oceanic ridges, volcanic eruptions are common and they bring huge amounts of lava
to the surface in this area.
b) The rocks equidistant on either sides of the crest of mid-oceanic ridges show remarkable similarities
in terms of period of formation, chemical compositions and magnetic properties.
c) The ocean crust rocks are much younger than the continental rocks. The age of rocks in the oceanic
crust is nowhere more than 200 million years old. Some of the continental rock formations are as
old as 3,200 million years.
d) The sediments on the ocean floor are unexpectedly very thin. Scientists expected that if the ocean
floors were as old as the continent, to have a complete sequence of sediments for a period of much
 longer duration. However, nowhere was the sediment column found to be older than 200 million
years.
e) The deep trenches have deep-seated earthquake occurrences while in the mid-oceanic ridge areas,
the quake foci have shallow’ depths.

10. According to tectonic plates theory in how many plates has the earth been divided? Explain.
Answer:
The theory of plate tectonics proposes that the earth’s lithosphere is divided into seven major and some
minor plates. The major plates are as follows:
Antarctica and the surrounding oceanic plate
North American plate
South American plate
Pacific plate
India-Australia-New Zealand plate
Africa with the eastern Atlantic floor plate
Eurasia and the adjacent oceanic plate. Some important minor plates are:
Cocos plate: It is between Central America and Pacific plate
Nazca plate: It is between South America and Pacific plate
Arabian plate: It includes mostly the Saudi Arabian landmass
Philippine plate: It is between the Asiatic and Pacific plate
Caroline plate: It is between the Philippine and Indian plate (North of New Guinea)
Fuji plate: It includes North-east of Australia.
Pacific plate is largely an oceanic plate whereas the Eurasian plate may be called a continental plate. Plates
are not static. Plates may converge or diverge. Plates may break as well.

11. The ocean floor may be segmented into how many divisions based on the depth as well as the
forms of relief?
Answer:
The ocean floor may be segmented into three major divisions based on the depth as well as the forms of
relief. These divisions are:

(i) Continental margins,

(ii) Abyssal plains and
(iii) Mid-oceanic ridges.
 (i) Continental margins
Form transitional zone between continental shore and deep sea basins
They include continental slope , shelf, continental rise and deep oceanic trenches
(ii) Abyssal plains
Extensive plains
Found between continental margin and mid oceanic ridge
Continental sediments get deposited
(iii) Mid-oceanic ridges
Distribution of volcanoes and earthquakes
All volcanoes and earthquakes are parallel to the coast
This line also co-incides with mid- Atlantic ridge and Alpine Himalayan system
Around the Pacific Ocean it is called ring of fire mid oceanic ridges.

12. Explain tectonic plate theory and its working.

Answer:

 These plates have been constantly moving over the globe throughout the history of the earth.
 The theory of plate tectonics was introduced by Mckenzie, Parker and , Morgan in 1967.
 A tectonic plate is also called as lithosphere plate.It is a massive irregularly shaped slab of solid rock.
 Consists of oceanic and continental sphere.Plates move horizontally over the asthenosphere.
 Average thickness is 100 km of oceanic part and 200 km of continental part.It may be oceanic or
continental.
 Pacific plate is largest oceanic plate whereas Eurasian plate is the largest continental plate.
 These plates are moving constantly throughout geological time not the continent, believed by
Wegener.
 It creates three types of boundaries.
Divergent boundaries
a) New crust is generated
b) Plates move away from each other
c) These are called spreading sites
d) Ex. Mid atlantic ridge
Convergent boundaries |
a) Crust is destroyed
b) Sinking of plate is called “subduction zone”. There are three ways in which subduction occurs (i)
between an oceanic and continental plates; (ii) between two oceanic plates; and (iii) between two
continental plates.
Transform boundaries: Where the crust is neither produced nor destroyed as the plates slide horizontally
past each other.
 13. Explain the movement in Indian plate.
Answer:
The Indian plate includes Peninsular India and the Australian continental portions. The Tethys Sea
separated it from the Asian continent till about 225 million years ago. India is supposed to have started her
northward journey about 200 million years ago at the time when Pangaea broke. India collided with Asia
about 40-50 million years ago causing rapid uplift of the Himalayas. About 140 million years before the
present, the subcontinent was located as south as 50°S. latitude.

The two major plates were separated by the Tethys Sea and the Tibetan block was closer to the Asiatic
landmass. During the movement of the Indian plate towards the Asiatic plate, a major event that occurred
was the outpouring of lava and formation of the Deccan Traps. This started somewhere around 60 million
years ago and continued for a long period of time. The subcontinent was still close to the equator. From 40
million years ago and thereafter, the event of formation of the Himalayas took place. Scientists believe that
the process is still continuing and the height of the Himalayas is rising even to this date.