📖 what
What is seafloor spreading?
Quick Answer
Seafloor spreading is the process where new oceanic crust forms at mid-ocean ridges and moves outward. It is a major piece of evidence for plate tectonics.
The Full Story
At mid-ocean ridges, magma rises from the mantle, cools and creates new basaltic crust. As more crust forms, the older seafloor is pushed away on both sides like a conveyor belt. Harry Hess proposed the idea in the early 1960s, and magnetic stripes on the ocean floor later confirmed it. This process helps explain why the ocean floor is geologically young compared with continents.
Key Facts
1.Proposed by Harry Hess in the early 1960s
2.New crust forms at mid-ocean ridges
3.Magnetic stripes record past reversals of Earth’s magnetic field
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"How the ocean floor is continuously made and moved"
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