Whose idea linked seafloor spreading to magnetic stripes on the ocean floor?
Quick Answer
Frederick Vine, Drummond Matthews, and Lawrence Morley are credited with that breakthrough. Their 1963 work helped prove plate tectonics.
The Full Story
In 1963, Frederick Vine and Drummond Matthews in Britain, working independently of Canadian geologist Lawrence Morley, proposed that new ocean crust forms at mid-ocean ridges and records Earth’s magnetic reversals as it cools. This produced symmetrical magnetic stripes on either side of spreading centers. The pattern matched the known reversal history of Earth’s magnetic field and strongly supported seafloor spreading. Their interpretation became a key piece of evidence for the modern plate-tectonics revolution.
Key Facts
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"How magnetic stripes proved the ocean floor is moving"
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