A tectonic plate moves at an average rate of 2 cm per year. This movement is barely noticeable in a person's lifetime. What principle explains how this slow movement can form mountain ranges and separate continents?

The principle of magnetic reversal.

The concept of daily tidal forces.

The law of universal gravitation.

If geologists only considered timeframes of a few thousand years, what would be a likely conclusion about the Earth's continents?

That the continents are moving apart at an extremely rapid rate.

That the continents are essentially fixed in place and do not move.

That all continents were formed by a single, massive volcanic eruption.

That new oceans can form and disappear within a single human generation.

The prediction of daily volcanic eruptions.

The formation of the Earth's magnetic field.

The rearrangement of the world's continents.

The cyclical pattern of ice ages over millennia.

Geologic time is slightly longer, covering a few thousand years.

The two timescales are roughly equivalent.

A human lifetime is an insignificant fraction of geologic time.

Geologic time is shorter, focusing only on recent ice ages.

It allows slow movements to add up to large distances.

It helps scientists calculate the exact moment an earthquake will occur by analyzing plate speeds over many centuries.

It explains the specific chemical composition of the continental plates, which is necessary for understanding their density.

It allows for the measurement of plate velocity using satellite GPS, a technology that requires long-term data baselines.