What have scientists learned about seafloor spreading?

What have scientists learned about seafloor spreading?

Using technologies developed to fight World War II, scientists were able to gather data that allowed them to recognize seafloor spreading as the mechanism for Wegener’s drifting continents. Seafloor spreading processes create new oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridges and destroy older crust at deep sea trenches.

What evidence supports the theory of seafloor spreading?

Abundant evidence supports the major contentions of the seafloor-spreading theory. First, samples of the deep ocean floor show that basaltic oceanic crust and overlying sediment become progressively younger as the mid-ocean ridge is approached, and the sediment cover is thinner near the ridge.

Where in general do most earthquakes occur?

Most earthquakes occur at the boundaries where the plates meet. In fact, the locations of earthquakes and the kinds of ruptures they produce help scientists define the plate boundaries. There are three types of plate boundaries: spreading zones, transform faults, and subduction zones.

Is Earth growing in size?

Combining the expansion rates of land part and oceanic part, we conclude that the Earth is expanding at a rate of 0.35 ± 0.47 mm/a in recent two decades.

Who proved that the seafloor is spreading?

Harry H. Hess

What process recycles the crust?

Crustal recycling is a tectonic process by which surface material from the lithosphere is recycled into the mantle by subduction erosion or delamination.

Can we prove the Earth’s crust is in motion by studying the ocean floor?

Scientists who study the Earth tell us the continents and ocean floors are always moving. Scientists found that the surface of our planet is always in motion. Continents move about the Earth like huge ships at sea, floating on pieces of the Earth’s outer skin, or crust.

Which is the supercontinent?

A supercontinent is a landmass made up of most or all of Earth’s land. By this definition the landmass formed by present-day Africa and Eurasia could be considered a supercontinent. The most recent supercontinent to incorporate all of Earth’s major—and perhaps best-known—landmasses was Pangea.

What are the three steps to create new ocean floor?

1. convergent boundary — plates converge, or come together.
2. divergent boundary — two plates diverge, or move apart and new crust or lithosphere is formed.
3. transform fault boundary — plates slide past one another with no creation or destruction of lithosphere.

What is the most prominent feature on the ocean floor?

oceanic ridge system