Sea Floor Spreading Is The Process Of Plates

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.

Sea floor spreading is the process of plates. The process of seafloor spreading leads to the formation of numerous geographical features which can be terrestrial sub terrestrial or marine features. Seafloor spreading is the continuous process of forming new igneous rock at midocean ridges by injection of magma that forms new seafloor. Seafloor spreading theory that oceanic crust forms along submarine mountain zones and spreads out laterally away from them. The process of sea floor spreading.

Spreading rates determine if the ridge is fast intermediate or slow. Seafloor spreading pushes the margins of oceanic tectonic plates beneath the continental plates which are lighter. 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. Seafloor spreading is credited for the formation of the red sea as a result of the movement of the arabian and african tectonic plates away from each other.

The regions that hold the unique record of earth s magnetic field lie along the mid ocean ridges where the sea floor is spreading. Strong evidence of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics. Seafloor spreading is the usual process at work at divergent plate boundaries leading to the creation of new ocean floor. Paleomagnetism led the revival of the continental drift hypothesis and its transformation into theories of sea floor spreading and plate tectonics.

The oceanic crust is composed of rocks that move away from the ridge as new crust is being formed. These age data also allow the rate of seafloor spreading to be determined and they show that rates. The formation of the new crust is due to the rising of the molten material magma from the mantle by convection current. Seafloor spreading is one of the two major processes of plate tectonics the other being subduction.

In this fashion the ocean crust is constantly replenished. The mid ocean ridge is the region where new oceanic crust is created. Seafloor spreading occurs along mid ocean ridges large mountain ranges rising from the ocean floor. 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.

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.