The Seafloor Spreading Hypothesis States That

Continental drift was a revolutionary scientific theory developed in the years 1908 1912 by alfred wegener 1880 1930 a german meteorologist climatologist and geophysicist that put forth the hypothesis that the continents had all originally been a part of one enormous landmass or supercontinent about 240 million years ago before breaking apart and drifting to their current locations.

The seafloor spreading hypothesis states that. Studies conducted with thermal probes for example indicate that the heat flow through bottom sediments is generally comparable to that through the continents except over the mid ocean ridges where at some sites the heat flow measures three to four times the normal value. Army air corps during world war ii he became a civilian. Dietz was educated at the university of illinois b s 1937. Marie tharp s incredible maps were integral to the acceptance of the plate tectonic theory.

The motivating force for seafloor spreading ridges is tectonic plate slab pull at subduction zones rather than magma pressure although there is typically. A veritable legion of evidence supports the seafloor spreading hypothesis. When oceanic plates diverge tensional stress causes fractures to occur in the lithosphere. After serving as an officer in the u s.

The acceptance of continental drift and seafloor spreading. Dietz american geophysicist and oceanographer who set forth a theory of seafloor spreading in 1961. Seafloor spreading helps explain continental drift in the theory of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics a theory that states earth s surface is made up of giant moving slabs called tectonic plates.

One important way in which dietz s theory of sea floor spreading differed from hess was that dietz correctly surmised that the lithosphere was moving on top of the plastic asthenosphere with the convection currents where as hess suggested the the base of the crust was moving with currents. Image of sea floor spreading 1. Eventually the crust cracks. Based on the work of previous scientists who had theorized about horizontal movement of the continents.

Seafloor spreading occurs at divergent plate boundaries. The anomalously high values are considered to reflect the intrusion of molten material near the crests of the ridges. As tectonic plates slowly move away from each other heat from the mantle s convection currents makes the crust more plastic and less dense. Andes mountains south american mountain chain formed by subduction of converging south american and nazca plates.

State of the science and events. A change of the magnetic poles resulting in a pattern that provides evidence for seafloor spreading and plate tectonics.