Seafloor Spreading Theory Harry Hess

Seafloor spreading was proposed by an american geophysicist harry h.

Seafloor spreading theory harry hess. It was determined that the seafloor basalt is youngest at mid ocean ridges and oldest adjacent to continents. Harry hess published the history of ocean basins in 1962 outlining a theory of how tectonic plates can move which was later called sea floor spreading. He identified the presence of mid ocean ridges and that ocean trenches are where ocean floor is destroyed and recycled. Harry hess was a profecer of geology at princeton university in the 1960 s and he played a key role in the development of the theory of plate tectonics.

The first comprehensive attempt at such an explanation was made by harry h. The seafloor spreading hypothesis was proposed by the american geophysicist harry h. Harry hess 1906 1969 in his navy uniform as captain of the assault transport cape johnson during world war ii. This recycling process later named seafloor spreading carries off older sediment and fossils and moves the continents as new ocean crust spreads away from the ridges.

If spreading continues past the incipient stage described above two of the rift arms will open while the third arm stops opening and becomes a failed rift or aulacogen. Seafloor spreading had been proved. The theory of seafloor spreading the mid ocean ridge is where the seafloor spreading occurs in which tectonic plates large slabs of earth s lithosphere split apart from each other. On the basis of tharp s efforts and other new discoveries about the deep ocean floor hess postulated that molten material from earth s mantle continuously wells up along the crests of the mid ocean ridges that wind for nearly 80 000 km.

Harry hammond hess may 24 1906 august 25 1969 was an american geologist and a united states navy officer in world war ii who is considered one of the founding fathers of the unifying theory of plate tectonics he is best known for his theories on sea floor spreading specifically work on relationships between island arcs seafloor gravity anomalies and serpentinized peridotite. The existence of these three types of large striking seafloor features demanded a global rather than local tectonic explanation. After the war he remained active in the naval reserve reaching the rank of rear admiral. Supporting wegener s theory of continental drift hess explained how the once joined continents had separated into the seven that exist today.

Hess theory was that new seafloor is formed when magma is forced upward toward the surface at a mid ocean ridge. Hess served in world war ii and while he would go from one battle to another he and his crew conducted sonar test to map the seafloor.