Name ____ Period ____

Seafloor Spreading ‌
‌

The‌‌longest‌‌chain‌‌of‌‌mountains‌‌in‌‌the‌‌world‌‌is‌‌the‌‌system‌‌of‌‌‌mid-ocean‌‌ridges.‌‌‌In‌‌the‌‌
mid-1900s,‌‌scientists‌‌mapped‌‌the‌‌mid-ocean‌‌ridges‌‌using‌‌‌sonar.‌‌‌Sonar‌‌‌is‌‌a‌‌device‌‌that‌
‌bounces‌‌
sound‌‌waves‌‌off‌‌underwater‌‌objects‌‌‌and‌‌then‌‌records‌‌the‌‌echoes‌‌of‌‌these‌‌sound‌‌waves.‌‌The‌‌
mid-ocean‌‌ridges‌‌‌curve‌‌along‌‌the‌‌seafloor,‌‌extending‌‌into‌‌all‌‌of‌‌Earth’s‌‌oceans.‌‌Most‌‌of‌‌the‌‌
mountains‌‌in‌‌the‌‌mid-ocean‌‌ridges‌‌lie‌‌hidden‌‌under‌‌hundreds‌‌of‌‌meters‌‌of‌‌water.‌‌A‌‌steep-sided‌
‌valley‌‌splits‌‌the‌‌top‌‌of‌‌some‌‌mid-ocean‌‌ridges.‌‌The‌‌Earth’s‌‌ocean‌‌floors‌‌move‌‌like‌‌conveyor‌
‌belts,‌‌carrying‌the‌‌continents‌‌along‌‌with‌‌them,‌‌as‌‌they‌‌move.‌‌This‌‌movement‌‌begins‌‌at‌‌a‌
‌mid-ocean‌‌ridge.‌‌A‌‌ridge‌‌forms‌‌along‌‌a‌‌crack‌‌in‌‌the‌‌oceanic‌‌crust.‌‌‌At‌‌a‌‌mid-ocean‌‌ridge,‌
‌molten‌‌material‌‌rises‌‌from‌‌the‌‌mantle‌‌and‌‌erupts.‌‌The‌‌molten‌‌material‌‌then‌‌spreads‌‌out,‌
‌pushing‌‌older‌‌rock‌‌to‌‌both‌‌sides‌‌of‌‌the‌‌ridge.‌‌‌As‌‌the‌‌molten‌‌material‌‌cools,‌‌it‌‌forms‌‌a‌‌strip‌
‌of‌‌solid‌‌rock‌‌in‌‌the‌‌center‌‌of‌‌the‌‌ridge.‌‌Then‌‌more‌‌molten‌‌‌material‌‌splits‌‌apart‌‌the‌‌strip‌‌of‌‌solid‌
‌rock‌‌that‌‌formed‌‌before,‌‌pushing‌‌it‌‌‌aside.‌‌This‌‌process,‌‌called‌‌‌sea-floor‌‌spreading,‌‌‌continually‌
‌adds‌‌new‌‌material‌‌to‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor.‌‌
Scientists‌‌have‌‌found‌‌strange‌‌rocks‌‌shaped‌‌like‌‌pillows‌‌in‌‌the‌‌central‌‌valley‌‌of‌
‌mid-ocean‌‌
ridges.‌‌Such‌‌rocks‌‌can‌‌form‌‌only‌‌if‌‌molten‌‌material‌‌hardens‌‌quickly‌‌after‌‌erupting‌‌underwater.‌
‌The‌‌presence‌‌of‌‌these‌‌rocks‌‌supports‌‌the‌‌theory‌‌of‌‌sea-floor‌‌spreading.‌‌More‌‌support‌‌came‌
‌when‌‌scientists‌‌discovered‌‌that‌‌the‌‌rock‌‌that‌‌makes‌‌up‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌‌lies‌‌in‌‌a‌‌pattern‌‌of‌
‌magnetized‌‌“stripes.‌‌The‌‌pattern‌‌is‌‌the‌‌same‌‌on‌‌both‌‌sides‌‌of‌‌the‌‌ridge.‌‌These‌‌stripes‌‌hold‌‌a‌
‌record‌‌of‌‌reversals‌‌in‌‌Earth’s‌‌magnetic‌‌field.‌‌The‌‌final‌‌proof‌‌of‌‌sea-floor‌‌spreading‌‌came‌‌from‌
‌rock‌‌samples‌‌obtained‌‌by‌drilling‌‌into‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor.‌‌Scientists‌‌found‌‌that‌‌the‌‌farther‌‌from‌‌a‌
‌ridge‌‌the‌‌rocks‌‌were‌‌taken,‌‌the‌‌older‌‌they‌‌were.‌‌The‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌‌does‌‌not‌‌just‌‌keep‌‌spreading.‌
‌Instead,‌‌it‌‌sinks‌‌beneath‌‌deep‌‌underwater‌‌canyons‌‌called‌‌‌deep-ocean‌‌trenches.‌‌‌Where‌‌there‌
‌are‌‌trenches,‌‌subduction‌‌takes‌‌place.‌‌Subduction‌‌‌is‌‌the‌‌process‌‌by‌‌which‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌
‌sinks‌‌beneath‌‌a‌‌deep-ocean‌‌trench‌‌and‌‌back‌‌into‌‌the‌‌mantle.‌‌‌At‌‌‌deep-ocean‌‌trenches,‌
‌subduction‌‌allows‌‌part‌‌of‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌‌to‌‌sink‌‌back‌‌into‌‌the‌‌mantle,‌‌over‌‌tens‌‌of‌
‌millions‌‌of‌‌years.‌‌
The‌‌processes‌‌of‌‌subduction‌‌and‌‌sea-floor‌‌spreading‌‌can‌‌change‌‌the‌‌size‌‌and‌‌shape‌‌of‌
‌the‌‌oceans.‌‌Because‌‌of‌‌these‌‌processes,‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌‌is‌‌renewed‌‌about‌‌every‌‌200‌‌million‌
‌years.‌‌The‌‌Pacific‌‌Ocean‌‌is‌‌shrinking.‌‌Its‌‌many‌‌trenches‌‌are‌‌swallowing‌‌more‌‌ocean‌‌crust‌‌than‌
‌the‌‌mid-ocean‌‌ridge‌‌is‌‌producing.‌‌The‌‌Atlantic‌‌Ocean‌‌is‌‌expanding.‌‌In‌‌most‌‌places,‌‌the‌
‌oceanic‌‌crust‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Atlantic‌‌Ocean‌‌is‌‌attached‌‌to‌‌continental‌‌crust.‌‌As‌‌the‌‌Atlantic’s‌‌floor‌
‌spreads,‌‌the‌‌continents‌‌along‌‌its‌‌edges‌‌also‌‌move.‌‌
‌Questions:‌‌

1.‌‌‌Name‌‌and‌‌describe‌‌the‌‌feature‌‌of‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌‌shown‌‌at‌‌A.‌‌
__mid-ocean ridge_ ‌
2.‌‌‌Describe‌‌the‌‌process‌‌shown‌‌occurring‌‌at‌‌B,‌‌and‌‌explain‌‌what‌‌results‌‌from‌‌this.‌‌
__sea0floor spreading_ ‌
3.‌‌‌What‌‌happens‌‌to‌‌the‌‌old‌‌oceanic‌‌crust‌‌as‌‌new‌‌molten‌‌material‌‌rises‌‌from‌‌the‌‌mantle?‌‌
__trench_ ‌
4.‌‌‌The‌‌arrows‌‌on‌‌the‌‌figure‌‌show‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌‌spreading‌‌from‌‌the‌‌ridge.‌‌What‌‌are‌‌three‌
‌kinds‌‌of‌‌evidence‌‌scientists‌‌have‌‌found‌‌to‌‌support‌‌this‌‌idea?‌‌
A.‌_magnetic striped on the ocean floor that show pattern if earths magnetic field
reversals__ ‌
B.‌__age of the rock: the youngest rocks are near the mod ocean ridge and the
oldest rocks are farther away_ ‌
C.‌_drilling samples that confirm the age of oceanic crust increases with distance
from the ridge__ ‌
5.‌‌‌What‌‌process‌‌is‌‌shown‌‌occurring‌‌at‌‌C,‌‌and‌‌why‌‌does‌‌it‌‌occur?‌‌
__subduction_ ‌
6.‌‌‌A‌‌device‌‌that‌‌scientists‌‌use‌‌to‌‌map‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌‌is‌‌‌_sonar.‌‌
7.‌‌‌The‌‌feature‌‌on‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌‌at‌‌C‌‌is‌‌called‌‌a(n)‌‌‌_deep ocean trench__.‌‌
8.‌‌‌The‌‌process‌‌that‌‌continually‌‌adds‌‌new‌‌material‌‌to‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌‌is‌‌called‌_sea floor
spreading__.‌‌
9.‌‌‌The‌‌process‌‌by‌‌which‌‌the‌‌ocean‌‌floor‌‌sinks‌‌into‌‌the‌‌mantle‌‌is‌‌called‌‌‌_subduction__.‌‌
10.‌‌‌A‌‌chain‌‌of‌‌underwater‌‌mountains‌‌along‌‌which‌‌sea-floor‌‌spreading‌‌occurs‌‌is‌‌a‌‌‌_mid ocean
ridge__.‌‌