Expansion Theory Spreading The Ocean Floor

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.

Expansion theory spreading the ocean floor. Seafloor spreading is the mechanism by which new seafloor lithosphere is constantly being created at mid ocean ridges. The theory of seafloor spreading. Earth expansion advocates fixated on this observation. Spreading rates determine if the ridge is fast intermediate or slow.

These age data also allow the rate of seafloor spreading to be determined and they show that rates. This theory introduced by harry hess was proven as patterns of magnetic. What actually is the moho seismic horizon beneath the ocean floor long taken as the boundary between crust and the mantle. The expanding earth or growing earth hypothesis asserts that the position and relative movement of continents is at least partially due to the volume of earth increasing.

Spreading rate is the rate at which an ocean basin widens due to seafloor spreading. The mid atlantic ridge for instance separates the north american plate from the eurasian plate and the south american plate from the african plate the east pacific rise is a mid ocean ridge that runs through the eastern pacific ocean and separates the pacific plate from the north american. The rate at which new oceanic lithosphere is added to each tectonic plate on either side of a mid ocean ridge is the spreading half rate and is equal to half of the spreading rate. The strange fact that the ocean floor is billions of years younger than the earth s land.

This idea played a pivotal role in the development of the theory of plate tectonics which revolutionized geologic thought during the last quarter of the 20th century. Seafloor spreading occurs along mid ocean ridges large mountain ranges rising from the ocean floor. Is the ocean crust as simple and regular as the conventional plate tectonics model would have us believe. 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.

Although it was suggested historically since the recognition of plate tectonics in the 1970s. Explaining the young age of the ocean. What do we really know about seafloor spreading and how ocean crust is generated at the earth s mid ocean ridges. Seafloor spreading theory mapping of the ocean floor.

As upwelling of magma continues the plates continue to diverge a process known as seafloor spreading samples collected from the ocean floor show that the age of oceanic crust increases with distance from the spreading centre important evidence in favour of this process. Conversely geophysical global cooling was the hypothesis that various features could be explained by earth contracting.