Development of a Theory

The mountain ranges in the middle of the ocean are called __________ ridges which are much larger than land mountains

Scientists argued that if the seafloor spreads, the continents must also be moving.

Continents do not move through the solid mantle or the seafloor. Instead, continents move as the seafloor spreads

As seafloor continues to spread apart, the youngest crust that is formed is the farthest away from the mid-ocean ridge.

Scientists have discovered parallel patterns in the magnetic __________ of rocks on either side of a mid-ocean ridge

When the seafloor spreads mantle material melts and rises through the cracks because it is less dense than solid mantle

Which of the following is one of the explanations for how mountains form on the seafloor?

the process by which new oceanic crust forms along a mid-ocean ridge and older oceanic crust moves away from the ridge

Far from the mid-ocean ridge, the sediment becomes thick enough to make the seafloor smooth. This area is called the

A state in which magnetized objects will orient themselves to point north