Sea-Floor Spreading

Front

Who discovered what appeared to be stitches on the ocean floor?

Back

Marie Tharp

Front

What are the features on the ocean floor that resemble stitches on a baseball?

Back

Mid-Ocean Ridges

Front

What is the term for the process by which new oceanic lithosphere forms?

Back

Sea-floor spreading

Front

Where are the youngest rocks on the ocean floor located?

Back

At mid-ocean ridges

Front

What are tectonic plates?

Back

Large sections of the Earth's crust that move and interact with each other.

Front

What is a mid-ocean ridge?

Back

An underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics.

Front

What is subduction?

Back

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

Front

What is the significance of sea-floor spreading?

Back

It explains how new oceanic crust is formed and how continents drift.

Front

What evidence supports the theory of sea-floor spreading?

Back

Magnetic patterns on the ocean floor and the age of rocks.

Front

What is the relationship between sea-floor spreading and plate tectonics?

Back

Sea-floor spreading is a key process in the theory of plate tectonics.