Defien Sea Floor Spreading

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.

Defien sea floor spreading.

Spreading rate is the rate at which an ocean basin widens due to seafloor spreading. At ridges in the middle of oceans new oceanic crust is created. Spreading rates determine if the ridge is fast intermediate or slow. The seafloor moves and carries continents with it.

The motivating force for seafloor spreading ridges is tectonic plate pull rather than magma pressure although there is typically significant magma activity at spreading ridges. The process of sea floor spreading. The mid ocean ridge is the region where new oceanic crust is created. Sea floor spreading synonyms sea floor spreading pronunciation sea floor spreading translation english dictionary definition of sea floor spreading.

Seafloor spreading happens at the bottom of an ocean as tectonic plates move apart. Seafloor spreading definition is the divergence at mid ocean ridges of the tectonic plates underlying the oceans that is due to upwelling from the earth s interior of magma which solidifies and adds to the spreading plates. Seafloor spreading occurs along mid ocean ridges large mountain ranges rising from the ocean floor. 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.

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. Seafloor spreading definition a process in which new ocean floor is created as molten material from the earth s mantle rises in margins between plates or ridges and spreads out. Seafloor definition the solid surface underlying a sea or an ocean. The oceanic crust is composed of rocks that move away from the ridge as new crust is being formed.

Seafloor spreading theory that oceanic crust forms along submarine mountain zones and spreads out laterally away from them.