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Whose observations first showed seafloor spreading?

GeologyOcean science

Quick Answer

Harry Hess is best known for proposing seafloor spreading in the early 1960s. He suggested that new ocean floor is created at mid-ocean ridges.

The Full Story

American geologist Harry Hess proposed seafloor spreading in 1962. He suggested that magma rises at mid-ocean ridges, forms new ocean crust, and then moves outward on both sides. This helped explain why the ocean floor gets older away from ridges and why deep-ocean trenches occur elsewhere. Hess's idea became a cornerstone of plate tectonics. It also helped explain patterns of earthquakes, volcanism, and the magnetic stripes discovered later on the seafloor.

Key Facts

1.Hess proposed seafloor spreading in 1962
2.New crust forms at mid-ocean ridges
3.Ocean floor ages away from the ridges

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Suggested video title for this topic:

"The moving ocean floor that changed geology forever."