what evidence supports the theory of seafloor spreading

There is variety of evidence that supports the claims that plate tectonics accounts for (1) the distribution of fossils on different continents, (2) the occurrence of earthquakes, and (3) continental and ocean floor features including mountains, volcanoes, faults, and trenches.

What supports plate tectonic theory?

There is evidence of plate-tonics. Clues to their past can be found in modern continents. Evidence from fossils, glaciers, and coastlines can show how the plates once fit together. Fossils tell us where plants and animals once lived.

What observations about landforms best supports the theory of plate tectonics?

Which of the following observations about landforms best supports the theory of plate tectonics? Impact craters have been found both on dry land and on the ocean floor. As lava cools on Earth’s surface, it forms a variety of igneous rocks. Volcanoes are distributed randomly on every continent.

Which statement describes the cyclic nature of seafloor spreading?

The Statements that describe the cyclic nature of seafloor spreading are as follows; New oceanic crust is formed.

Which statement best describes the theory of plate tectonics?

Sections of Earth’s continents are in slow, constant movement. Explanation: The theory of plate tectonics states that pieces of Earth’s lithosphere are in slow, constant motion, developed due to convection currents in the mantle. These plates move over the asthenosphere, the molten upper portion of the mantle.

Which statement describes one event that happens at deep ocean trenches?

The destruction of crust occurs at deep-sea trenches. Oceanic rocks are pillow-shaped when formed.

What is the first step in the seafloor spreading process?

1. A long crack in the oceanic crust forms at a mid ocean ridge. 2. Molten material rises and erupts along the ridge.

What is a device that scientists use to map the ocean floor?

Dive and Discover : Oceanographic Tools: Sonar. Echo sounding is the key method scientists use to map the seafloor today. The technique, first used by German scientists in the early 20th century, uses sound waves bounced off the ocean bottom.

Does seafloor spreading add new material to the ocean floor?

The process that continually adds new material to the ocean floor is – called Sea floor spreading. … The process by which the ocean floor sinks into the mantle is called Subduction ..

What are 6 pieces of evidence that support continental drift?

They based their idea of continental drift on several lines of evidence: fit of the continents, paleoclimate indicators, truncated geologic features, and fossils.

What evidence do scientists support?

Fossils provide solid evidence that organisms from the past are not the same as those found today, and fossils show a progression of evolution. Scientists determine the age of fossils and categorize them from all over the world to determine when the organisms lived relative to each other.

What is the strongest evidence of seafloor spreading?

Abundant evidence supports the major contentions of the seafloor-spreading theory. First, samples of the deep ocean floor show that basaltic oceanic crust and overlying sediment become progressively younger as the mid-ocean ridge is approached, and the sediment cover is thinner near the ridge.

How do ocean ridges and deep sea trenches support the theory of seafloor spreading?

How do ocean ridges and deep-sea trenches support the theory of seafloor spreading? THE THEORY OF SEAFLOOR SPREADING STATES THAT OCEAN RIDGES ARE PLACES WHERE NEW OCEAN CRUST IS FORMED; TRENCHES ARE PLACES WHERE IT IS DESTROYED. … THESE DATA ARE CONSISTENT WITH NEW CRUST FROMING AT RIDGES AND BEING DESTROYED AT TRENCHES.

How do fossils help prove that the continents move quizlet?

the evidence that supported the hypothesis was that fossils of same animals and plants found on continents that were oceans apart. … fossils provide evidence for continental drift because there was fossils from the same animals and plants found on different continents.

What evidence supports plate tectonics quizlet?

Earthquakes and volcanic activity are also evidence of plate tectonics.

Which evidence provides support for the motion of Earth’s tectonic plates being predictable?

Sea Floor Magnetism. Stripes of magnetic material in the seafloor provide strong evidence for tectonic theory. The stripes alternate between those with magnetic material orientated toward magnetic north, and those oriented in the opposite direction.

What is the first lines of evidence suggesting the existence of plate tectonics?

One of the first lines of evidence suggesting the existence of plate tectonics was the discovery of very similar fossils in rock masses separated by vast distances and by ocean expanses. It suggested that those land areas had in the past been connected.

What helped scientists develop the theory of plate tectonics?

Evidence that led to the development of plate tectonic theory in the 1960s came primarily from new data from the sea floor, including topography and the magnetism of rocks.

What evidence exists to support the existence of Pangaea?

The rock formations of eastern North America, Western Europe, and northwestern Africa were later found to have a common origin, and they overlapped in time with the presence of Gondwanaland. Together, these discoveries supported the existence of Pangea.

How do earthquakes prove plate tectonics?

Where plate pull apart, slide by each other or collide, there is tectonic activity manifested as earthquakes. The great majority of seismicity on the planet occurs at plate boundaries, although intra-plate seismicity can occur as well when stresses build up in the plate.

How do rocks help support the theory of plate tectonics?

One of the key pieces of evidence supporting plate tectonic theory was the discovery that rocks on the seafloor record ancient reversals of the Earth’s magnetic field: as rocks are formed where plates are moving away from one another, they record the current direction of the Earth’s magnetic field, which flip-flops …