What does seafloor spreading look like?
Seafloor spreading occurs at divergent plate boundaries. As tectonic plates slowly move away from each other, heat from the mantle’s convection currents makes the crust more plastic and less dense. The less-dense material rises, often forming a mountain or elevated area of the seafloor.
What is a real life example of what sea floor spreading is like?
Two examples of seafloor spreading are the East African Rift and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The East African Rift is continental rift that is a divergent plate boundary. At this rift, the African Plate is splitting in to two plates called the Nubian Plate and the Somalian Plate.
What are evidence of seafloor spreading?
The theory of seafloor spreading states that new ocean crust is continually being formed, and that this crust is slowly carried away from its point of origin over a period of time. The study of the repeated reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles over time has provided convincing evidence of seafloor spreading.
What are the steps of sea floor spreading?
Terms in this set (7)
- Magma comes out of the rift valley.
- Magma cools to rock and hardens.
- Rock is pushed away as new rock is formed at MOR.
- Oceanic crust and continental crust meet at the trench.
- Oceanic crust bends down under the continental crust.
- Gravity pulls rock towards mantle.
- Rock melts to mantle.
What are the 4 evidences of seafloor spreading?
Evidence of Sea Floor Spreading. Harry Hess’s hypothesis about seafloor spreading had collected several pieces of evidence to support the theory. This evidence was from the investigations of the molten material, seafloor drilling, radiometric age dating and fossil ages, and the magnetic stripes.
What are the three evidences of seafloor spreading?
The pieces of evidence gathered for sea-floor spreading include the evidence from molten material, magnetic stripes, and drilling samples.
What are the 3 types of evidence for seafloor spreading?
Several types of evidence from the oceans supported Hess’s theory of sea-floor spreading-evidence from molten material, magnetic stripes, and drilling samples.
What are the 3 evidences for seafloor spreading?
Evidence of Sea Floor Spreading
- Molten material. Hess’s discovery on the warmer temperature near the mid-Atlantic ridge when he began the ocean mapping, led to his evidence about the molten material underneath the ocean.
- Seafloor drill.
- Radiometric age dating and fossil ages.
- Magnetic stripes.
Which is the first step in the sea floor spreading process?
1. A long crack in the oceanic crust forms at a mid ocean ridge. 2. Molten material rises and erupts along the ridge.
Which is the first step in the seafloor spreading process Brainly?
A crack forms in oceanic crust. Volcanoes erupt under the ocean. Molten rock rises up through the crust. Dense plates are subducted under less dense plates.
What are the 4 pieces of evidence used to support the theory of seafloor spreading?
This hypothesis was supported by several lines of evidence: (1) at or near the crest of the ridge, the rocks are very young, and they become progressively older away from the ridge crest; (2) the youngest rocks at the ridge crest always have present-day (normal) polarity; and (3) stripes of rock parallel to the ridge …
What is sea floor spreading Upsc?
Seafloor spreading is a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge. The idea that the seafloor itself moves (and carries the continents with it) as it expands from a central axis was proposed by Harry Hess.
What is sea floor spreading and why is it important?
Seafloor spreading, theory that oceanic crust forms along submarine mountain zones, known collectively as the mid-ocean ridge system, and spreads out laterally away from them. This idea played a pivotal role in the development of plate tectonics, a theory that revolutionized geologic thought during the last quarter of the 20th century.
What are facts about seafloor spreading?
What Happens During the Process of Seafloor Spreading? History. Scientists originally believed that drifting was an occurrence exclusive to continents through continental drifts. Geographic Features. The process of seafloor spreading leads to the formation of numerous geographical features which can be terrestrial, sub-terrestrial, or marine features. Mid-Ocean Ridges.
What is an example of seafloor spreading?
Seafloor spreading occurs along mid-ocean ridges—large mountain ranges rising from the ocean floor. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, for instance, separates the North American plate from the Eurasian plate, and the South American plate from the African plate.
What is the evidence for seafloor spreading?
Molten materials and magnetic stripes are the evidence of seafloor spreading. When scientists studied patterns in the rocks of the ocean floor, they found more support for sea-floor spreading.