what is sea floor spreading

According to this theory the upper mantle of the earth has a layer called asthenosphere which contains viscous magma. Sea-Floor Spreading During World War II geologists employed by the military carried out studies of the sea floor a part of the Earth that had received little scientific study.

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Heat then rises from the lower mantle and core to the less dense.

. Sea floor spreading occurs when the two sides of a mid-ocean ridge move apart leaving magma to fill the gap. Abundant evidence supports the major contentions of. As the plates move apart new material wells up and cools onto the edge of the plates. Sea-Floor Spreading begins at a mid-ocean ridge which forms along a crack in the oceanic crust.

Learn how to define sea floor spreading. Sea Floor Spreading was a concept introduced by Henry Hess and Dietz when they observed that the age of the ocean floor was less than 200 million years whereas the earth was more than 45 billion years old. As the plates move apart new material wells up and cools onto the edge of the plates. Seafloor spreading is a geologic process where there is a gradual addition of new oceanic crust in the ocean floor through a volcanic activity while moving the older rocks away from the mid-oceanic ridge.

The topographic studies involved measuring the depth to the sea floor. As the plates move apart new material wells up and cools onto the edge of the plates. 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. Sea Floor Spreading ocean floor is spreading due to divergent boundaries allowing the oldest rock to be pushed out and the new rock is being formed closest to the crack forms the ridges 3.

This evidence also led sci- entists to look again at Wegeners theory of continental drift. Along the ridge molten material that forms several kilometers beneath the surface rises and erupts. And magma being a hot liquid has convective movement within the mantle. What are the main features of the ocean floor.

Seafloor spreading is the mechanism by which new seafloor lithosphere is constantly being created at mid-ocean ridges. This theory introduced by Harry Hess was proven as patterns of magnetic field polarity preserved in seafloor basalt and by age dating of the rocks. What proved sea floor spreading. Rising magma assumes the polarity of.

As the plates move apart new material wells up and cools onto the edge of the plates. Oct 27 2021 Answer. Sea-floor spreading is what happens at the mid-oceanic ridge where a divergent boundary is causing two plates to move away from one another resulting in spreading of the sea floor. Sea-floor spreading is what happens at the mid-oceanic ridge where a divergent boundary is causing two plates to move away from one another resulting in spreading of the sea floor.

Seafloor spreading is a geologic process in which tectonic plate slarge slabs of Earths lithosphere split apart from each other. Keeping this in view what evidence exists for sea floor spreading explain. What is sea floor spreading. 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.

The sea-floor spreading hypothesis maintains that these plates are in constant motion and that seismic boundaries between them delineate zones where oceanic crust is created or destroyed continental crust extended or compressed and crustal plates are translated laterally along faults without change in. Sea-floor spreading is what happens at the mid-oceanic ridge where a divergent boundary is causing two plates to move away from one another resulting in spreading of the sea floor. Seafloor spreading and other tectonic activity processes are the result of mantle convection. Features of the ocean include the continental shelf slope.

The purpose of these studies was to understand the topography of the sea floor to find hiding places for both Allied and enemy submarines. Asked by Charlotte Last updated. The ocean floors ruggedness they found is caused by seafloor spreading a geological process National Geographic defines as when tectonic plates large slabs of Earths lithosphere split apart from each other Beneath the ocean floor are ocean plates which slowly move away from each other making the crust less dense. Sea-floor spreading is what happens at the mid-oceanic ridge where a divergent boundary is causing two plates to move away from one another resulting in spreading of the sea floor.

What is the theory of sea floor spreading. Answered Sep 07 2017. Where does new crust come from in seafloor spreading. Sea-floor spreading is what happens at the mid-oceanic ridge where a divergent boundary is causing two plates to move away from one another resulting in spreading of the sea floor.

Several types of evidence from the oceans supported Hesss theory of sea-floor spreading-evidence from molten material magnetic stripes and drilling samples. What is sea-floor spreading. Mantle convection is the slow churn ing motion of. As the plates move apart new material wells up and cools onto the edge of the plates.

At the same time older rock moves outward on both sides of the ridge.

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