HS-ESS1-5 | Plate Tectonics and Crustal Ages · NYS standard · Regents questions
Evaluate evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust and the theory of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the ability of plate tectonics to explain the ages of crustal rocks. Examples include evidence of the ages of oceanic crust increasing with distance from mid-ocean ridges as a result of plate spreading and that the North American continental crust contains a much older central ancient core compared to the surrounding continental crust as a result of complex and numerous plate interactions.
Reference Tables
Relevant reference tables:
Regents Exam Questions
Released New York State Regents exam questions that assess HS-ESS1-5 are listed here by exam and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.
Vocabulary
Terms from the Earth & Space Science Glossary that come from this standard or from the released exam questions that assess it.
- argument
- central ancient core
- continental crust
- continental rocks
- crustal rocks
- Earth
- Earth’s surface
- exponential decay law
- geologic history
- half-life
- mid-ocean ridges
- North American continental crust
- ocean floor
- oceanic crust
- plate interaction
- plate spreading
- plate tectonics
- radioactive decay
- radiometric dating
- relative ages
- unifying theory
- crust – June 2025, Sample 2024
- fracture zone – June 2026
- geologic time – Sample 2024
- island arc – June 2026
- magnetic polarity – Sample 2024
- microplate – June 2026
- model – June 2026, Sample 2024
- motion – June 2025
- mountain – Sample 2024
- ocean – June 2026, June 2025, Sample 2024
- rift zone – June 2026
- volcanism – June 2026
- volcano – June 2026
Performance Level Descriptions
Every Regents exam question on HS-ESS1-5 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.
NGSS Dimensions
Performance expectation HS-ESS1-5 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:
- Engaging in Argument from Evidence
- Evaluate evidence behind currently accepted explanations or solutions to determine the merits of arguments.
- ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth
- Continental rocks, which can be older than 4 billion years, are generally much older than the rocks of the ocean floor, which are less than 200 million years old.
- ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions
- Plate tectonics is the unifying theory that explains the past and current movements of the rocks at Earth's surface and provides a framework for understanding its geologic history. (secondary to HS-ESS1-5)
- PS1.C: Nuclear Processes
- (NYSED) Spontaneous radioactive decay follows a characteristic exponential decay law allowing an element's half-life to be used for radiometric dating of rocks and other materials. (secondary to HS-ESS1-5)
- Patterns
- Empirical evidence is needed to identify patterns.