What are the main features of seafloor spreading?

Seafloor spreading produces major characteristics of the seafloor – 1) the age of the seafloor is progressively older away from midocean ridges, 2) the elevation of the seafloor is progressively lower away from midocean ridges, 3) the magnetic history of the seafloor bears the striped-pattern of the Earth’s magnetic …

What are 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. This evidence also led sci- entists to look again at Wegener’s theory of continental drift.

What is the importance of seafloor spreading?

Seafloor spreading is the mechanism by which new oceanic lithosphere is created at and moves away from divergent plate boundaries. The seafloor spreading hypothesis led to one of the most important paradigm shifts in the history of the Earth sciences, the plate tectonics scientific revolution.

What is the result of seafloor spreading?

Seafloor spreading creates new crust. Subduction destroys old crust. The two forces roughly balance each other, so the shape and diameter of the Earth remain constant.

How does seafloor spreading affect the environment?

The rate of spreading determines how much CO2 is released to the atmosphere. When seafloor spreading speeds up, more lava is produced, causing more CO2 to be released into the atmosphere, promoting global warming.

Who discovered seafloor spreading?

Harry Hess
Harry Hess: One of the Discoverers of Seafloor Spreading.

What happens when the seafloor spreads?

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. As the plates move apart, new material wells up and cools onto the edge of the plates.

How the seafloor spreading affect the environment?

What would happen if seafloor spreading stopped?

Erosion would continue to wear the mountains down, but with no tectonic activity to refresh them, over a few million years they would erode down to low rolling hills. So the whole planet would be flatter, and the topography would be a heck of a lot less exciting.

What is the history of seafloor spreading?

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 kind of activity causes seafloor spreading?

Volcanic activity
Volcanic activity causes the seafloor to spread along oceanic ridges, forming new areas of crust and mantle. After being generated, this new oceanic lithosphere cools down and contracts by up to 3% of its own volume.

Categories: Trendy