[Mission 2022] QUIZ – 2020: INSIGHTS STATIC QUIZ , 13 October 2021 – Geography

Solution: c)

Panthalassa was the super-ocean that surrounded the supercontinent Pangaea, the latest in a series of supercontinents in the history of Earth. During the Paleozoic–Mesozoic transition it occupied almost 70% of Earth’s surface. Its ocean floor has completely disappeared because of the continuous subduction along the continental margins on its circumference. Panthalassa is also referred to as the Paleo-Pacific (“old Pacific”) or Proto-Pacific because the Pacific Ocean is a direct continuation of Panthalassa.

Solution: b)

About 98 per cent of the total crust of the earth is composed of eight elements like oxygen, silicon, aluminium, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium, and the rest is constituted by titanium, hydrogen, phosphorous, manganese, sulphur, carbon, nickel and other elements.

The Major Elements of the Earth’s Crust

Sl. No.                                    Elements By Weight(%)

1. Oxygen                                        46.60
2. Silicon                                            27.72
3. Aluminium                                     8.13
4. Iron                                                   5.00
5. Calcium                                  3.63
6. Sodium                                           2.83
7. Potassium                                  2.59
8. Magnesium                                 2.09
9. Others                                            1.41

Solution: d)

The iron catastrophe was a postulated major geological event early in the history of Earth, where heavy metals such as iron and nickel congregated in the core during a geologically brief period.

Solution: c)

Continental crust is less dense than ocean crust as the latter is made of basaltic rocks. The main constituents of the Continental crust are Silica and Aluminium; and that of the ocean crust are Silica and Magnesium.

Although Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean than other oceans, its area is far lesser than all other oceans area combined.

Continental slope, Guyots, Trenches and other landforms can be observed in the ocean which is far diverse than the continents.

Solution: d)

According to Wegener, all the continents formed a single continental mass, a mega ocean surrounded by the same.

He argued that, around 200 million years ago, the super continent, Pangaea, began to split.

Wegener suggested that the movement responsible for the drifting of the continents was caused by pole-fleeing force and tidal force.

The polar-fleeing force relates to the rotation of the earth.

The second force that was suggested by Wegener—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.