Sea Floor Spreading

Front

What is Sea Floor Spreading?

Back

The process by which new oceanic crust is created at mid-ocean ridges as tectonic plates move apart.

Front

What was Pangaea?

Back

A supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, which eventually broke apart to form the current continents.

Front

What does the theory of continental drift propose?

Back

The continents were once joined in a supercontinent and have moved over time to their current locations.

Front

What causes seafloor spreading?

Back

Magma below the Earth's crust is forced up toward the surface as tectonic plates move apart.

Front

Where is the oldest oceanic rock typically found?

Back

At the edges of tectonic plates, farthest from mid-ocean ridges.

Front

What is a mid-ocean ridge?

Back

An underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics, where seafloor spreading occurs.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

The process by which one tectonic plate moves under another plate and sinks into the mantle.

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Large sections of the Earth's lithosphere that move and interact at their boundaries.

Front

What is the significance of magnetic reversals in seafloor spreading?

Back

They provide evidence for the movement of tectonic plates, as the orientation of magnetic minerals in new rock aligns with the Earth's magnetic field at the time of formation.

Front

What is the role of convection currents in the mantle?

Back

They drive the movement of tectonic plates by causing the hot, less dense material to rise and the cooler, denser material to sink.