A satellite returns images of the surface of a distant planet. ...

[waynest]

A satellite returns images of the surface of a distant planet. Conical volcanoes are clearly visible on the images. How can you determine whether this planet experiences plate tectonics, plumes, or both based on the distribution of visible volcanoes?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Walking along the woods, a student spot a lizard that quickly runs under some leaves that are resting on the forest floor. Looking under the leaves to find the lizard, he notices that the soil is very moist despite several days without rain.
 
  This moist soil layer under the leaves is a result of A) humus with a high water-holding capacity and reduced evaporative loss in the O horizon.
  B) sand with a high water-holding capacity with water supplied from the B and E horizon.
  C) low infiltration and high evaporative loss in the B horizon.
  D) a low water-holding capacity of the lower soil layers and high evaporation through the top soil layers.

[Toya9913]

Answer to Question 1

If active volcanoes form narrow, concentrated zones, it is likely that the volcanoes are associated with plate boundary processes. If the volcanoes are more randomly scattered over the planet surface, then they are more likely produced by plumes. If chains of volcanoes are observed, with the only active volcanoes being concentrated at one end of the chain, this might be evidence of a hot-spot track, which would be consistent with both plates and plumes.

Answer to Question 2

A