However recent studies have questioned the empirical basis for high cretaceous global seafloor spreading rates high cretaceous sea level 230 320 m above present and the relationship between geochemical fluxes and spreading rates.
Sea floor spreading rates 110 85 mya.
The rates differ between the 3 spreading centers and along their respective boundaries.
Use the above equation to calculate spreading rate.
Seafloor spreading theory that oceanic crust forms along submarine mountain zones and spreads out laterally away from them.
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.
R d t or r 9 5 10 7 cm 6 5 10 7 years 1 46 cm yr.
While we can identify a seafloor spreading sequence with a general ene trend along the antarctic margin figs 4 and 5 from west to east we can observe an increase in spreading rate and tectono magmatic variations across the spreading segments from the potential field data e g.
1cm yr to 10 cm yr.
Slower spreading rates lead to a rough topography because the tectonic plate is allowed to cool before moving away from the ridge.
Ranges of spreading throughout the world s oceans.
Figs 3 and 5 seismic refraction velocity depth data e g.
Seafloor spreading occurs along mid ocean ridges large mountain ranges rising from the ocean floor.
Spreading rates determine if the ridge is fast intermediate or slow.
Spreading rate is the rate at which an ocean basin widens due to seafloor 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.
High cretaceous ocean crust production rates have been causally linked to high global sea level and global co 2 due to increased outgassing.
This data table provides spreading rates for divergent boundaries spreading centers in the pacific atlantic and indian oceans.
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.
Make the necessary measurements to calculate the spreading rates on either side of the spreading center during the most recent 40 ma i e.
