Sea Floor Spreading Drawing

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.

Sea floor spreading drawing. 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 subduction and sea floor spreading can change the size and shape of the oceans. Seafloor spreading happens at the bottom of an ocean as tectonic plates move apart. Earlier theories by alfred wegener and alexander du toit of continental drift postulated that.

Sea floors cartoons. 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. At ridges in the middle of oceans new oceanic crust is created.

Oceanic crust is the uppermost layer of the oceanic portion of a tectonic plate it is composed of the upper oceanic crust with pillow lavas and a dike complex and the lower oceanic crust composed of troctolite gabbro and ultramafic cumulates. Learn more about sea floor spreading and how it works with this demo. 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. That is the time it takes for new rock to form at the mid ocean ridge move atoss the ocean and sink into a trench.

This video goes over the process of sea floor spreading and the evidence that supports this theory. The seafloor moves and carries continents with it. Seafloor spreading theory that oceanic crust forms along submarine mountain zones and spreads out laterally away from them. Analysis inquiry and design math.

Get 10 free shutterstock images pick10free. Sea floor spreading. Free background music no copyright music brvtvs dead times freebackgroundmusic webs. Because of these processes the ocean floor is renewed about every 200 million years.

The crust overlies the solidified and uppermost layer of the mantle the crust and the solid mantle layer together constitute oceanic lithosphere.