Sea Floor Spreading Activit

Seafloor spreading is a geologic process where there is a gradual addition of new oceanic crust in the ocean floor through a volcanic activity while moving the older rocks away from the mid oceanic ridge.

Sea floor spreading activit.

Some of the worksheets for this concept are sea floor spreading work sea floor spreading a model of seafloor spreading inside earth work magnetic reversals activity name date sea floor spreading l 1 2 3 5 4 ovr l lesson 3 seafloor profiling seafloor spreading and subduction. 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. When taught in series the lessons proceed in much the same way that scientists discovered seafloor spreading and plate tectonics. Seafloor spreading theory that oceanic crust forms along submarine mountain zones and spreads out laterally away from them.

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. Displaying top 8 worksheets found for activity seafloor spreading. Their crystals are pulled into alignment by the earth s magnetic field just like a compass needle is pulled towards magnetic north. Most basalt magmas contain abundant molten iron.

Convection currents carry heat from the lower mantle and core to the lithosphere. The mid ocean ridge is where the seafloor spreading occurs in which tectonic plates large slabs of earth s lithosphere split apart. As magma starts to harden into rock iron rich minerals solidify first. Convection currents also recycle lithospheric materials back to the mantle.

This interactive activity is simple to prepare and to execute and allows the students to understand seafloor spreading and the position of newer rock and older rock in relation to. Spreading rates determine if the ridge is fast intermediate or slow. When a divergent boundary occurs in the ocean seafloor spreading is the result. Seafloor spreading and other tectonic activity processes are the result of mantle convection.

Alternatively this lesson can be taught after the concept of seafloor spreading so the evidence can be put into context. Mantle convection is the slow churning motion of earth s mantle. Seafloor spreading is the movement of magma through a crack in a mid oceanic ridge.