What is formed when the ocean floor moves on either side of a mid-ocean ridge?

What is formed when the ocean floor moves on either side of a mid-ocean ridge?

Seafloor spreading is a process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge.

What kind of movement is responsible for mid-ocean ridge?

A mid-ocean ridge or mid-oceanic ridge is an underwater mountain range, formed by plate tectonics. This uplifting of the ocean floor occurs when convection currents rise in the mantle beneath the oceanic crust and create magma where two tectonic plates meet at a divergent boundary.

Why is the ocean floor a mirror image on either side of the mid-ocean ridge?

Seafloor Magnetism North becomes south and south becomes north. During normal polarity, the north and south poles are aligned as they are now. Stripes of normal polarity and reversed polarity alternate across the ocean bottom. These stripes also forms a mirror image of itself on either side of the mid-ocean ridges.

Why are mid-ocean ridges higher than the deep seafloor on either side?

Since hot rocks are in a more expanded state and then contract as they cool (as they spread away from the ridge), the midocean ridges stand up high above the surrounding seafloor. The seafloor depth increases with distance away from the midocean ridges.

What do you expect to find in the mid-ocean ridge?

Mid-ocean ridges occur along divergent plate boundaries, where new ocean floor is created as the Earth’s tectonic plates spread apart. As the plates separate, molten rock rises to the seafloor, producing enormous volcanic eruptions of basalt.

What is the mid Atlantic ocean ridge Why is it important?

Mid-ocean ridges are geologically important because they occur along the kind of plate boundary where new ocean floor is created as the plates spread apart. Thus the mid-ocean ridge is also known as a “spreading center” or a “divergent plate boundary.” The plates spread apart at rates of 1 cm to 20 cm per year.

How did scientists discover the spreading of the ocean floor?

The magnetism of mid-ocean ridges helped scientists first identify the process of seafloor spreading in the early 20th century. Basalt, the once- molten rock that makes up most new oceanic crust, is a fairly magnetic substance, and scientists began using magnetometer s to measure the magnetism of the ocean floor in the 1950s.

How does seafloor spreading disprove the theory of continental drift?

Seafloor spreading disproves an early part of the theory of continental drift. Supporters of continental drift originally theorize d that the continents moved (drifted) through unmoving oceans. Seafloor spreading proves that the ocean itself is a site of tectonic activity.

What is a linear sea floor feature that is seismically inactive?

What is a linear sea floor feature that is seismically inactive, occurs beyond offset mid-ocean ridge segments, and the relative movement between two points on either side of the feature is in the same direction? a. Guyots b. Seaknolls

Which is the most flat part of the ocean floor?

Hot spot volcanism forming a chain of islands and seamounts e. abyssal plain.trench. An oceanographic vessel is mapping a section of the ocean floor stretching for tens of miles in all directions. The seafloor is extremely flat, with a slope of less than one degree, and the water depth is about 4,500 meters.