What are magnetic stripes on the seafloor caused by?

The Earth’s magnetic field is constantly changing, and as a result, the magnetic stripes on the seafloor are also constantly changing. These stripes are caused by the interaction between the Earth’s magnetic field and the iron-rich rocks that make up the seafloor.

How does the pattern of magnetic stripes give evidence for seafloor spreading?

How do strips of magnetized rock on the ocean floor provide evidence of sea-floor spreading? Strips of ocean-floor basalt record the polarity of Earth’s magnetic field at the time the rock formed. … The pattern shows that ocean floor forms along mid-ocean ridges and then moves away from the ridge.

How do the parallel magnetic stripes near mid-ocean ridges form quizlet?

Explain why magnetic strips on the seafloor are parallel to the mid-ocean ridge. New rock is formed when lava erupts along the length of the ridge. When the seafloor spreads, this rock separates and moves in opposite directions, forming lines that are parallel to the ridge.

What causes magnetic stripes on the seafloor quizlet?

Why does the rock of the ocean floor have a pattern of magnetic stripes? The rock of the ocean floor contains iron. As molten material cooled and hardenend, the iron bits inside lined up in the direction of Earth’s magnetic poles, creating a pattern of magnetized stripes.

How do magnetic stripes of iron in ocean rock?

How do magnetic stripes of iron in ocean rock provide evidence of seafloor spreading? They show when Earth’s poles reversed. They show how the density of the seafloor has changed.

What is the relationship between the ages of the magnetic stripes and their respective distances from the ridge crests?

As you move further away from the ridge crests, the age of the magnetic stripes increases. This is due to the process of seafloor spreading that creates new crust and pushes the old crust away.

How does oceanic crust move along mid-ocean ridges?

As tectonic plates slowly move away from each other, heat from the mantle’s convection currents makes the crust more plastic and less dense. … This rock (basalt) becomes a new part of Earth’s crust. Mid-Ocean Ridges. Seafloor spreading occurs along mid-ocean ridges—large mountain ranges rising from the ocean floor.

What is one of the main lines of reason behind the theory of seafloor spreading quizlet?

What is one of the main lines of reason behind the theory of seafloor spreading? Earth magnetic reversals throughout time, preserved in igneous rock on either side of the mid-oceanic ridge. How is the magnetic alignment of rock on either side of the mid-oceanic ridge measured? Through the use of magnetometers.

How were magnetic patterns on the seafloor discovered?

Data from magnetometers dragged behind ships looking for enemy submarines in WWII discovered amazing magnetic patterns on the seafloor. … The age of seafloor rocks increases from the ridge crest to rocks the farthest from the ridges.

What is the relationship between age of oceanic crust and distance from divergent plate boundary?

Comparing the ages of the oceanic crust near a mid-ocean ridge shows that the crust is youngest right at the spreading center, and gets progressively older as you move away from the divergent boundary in either direction, aging approximately 1 million years for every 20-40 km from the ridge.

How does magnetic striping support the theory of plate tectonics?

During times of normal magnetic polarity, the rocks being created stayed normal. … If they were created during times of reverse polarity, the rocks would freeze that magnetic orientation in place. It was quite a revelation, and changed the face of geologic thought.

Why are magnetic patterns important for plate tectonics?

Magnetic patterns are important evidence for plate tectonics because we can use the magnetic signatures of rock to identify the movement of large…

Why does the pattern of magnetic anomalies at sea match the pattern of magnetic reversals?

Why does the pattern of magnetic anomalies at sea match the pattern of magnetic reversals *recorded in lava flows on land)? o Rocks get older away from ocean ridges. Rocks get recycled at the trenches. No rocks older than 200 million years old since they get recycled.

Who observed striped magnetic patterns on the ocean floor and linked them with the sea floor spreading hypothesis?

Their work looked at the patterns of magnetic stripes on the ocean floor. If Hess was right, they hypothesised, the symmetrical pattern of stripes was no accident, but indicated that the Earth’s magnetic field switches direction over time, from its current (normal) direction to the opposite (reversed) direction.

What is magnetic orientation in 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 …

What is the importance of magnetic reversals to the theory of plate tectonics group of answer choices?

What is the importance of magnetic reversals to the theory of plate tectonics? Magnetic reversals provide evidence for seafloor spreading. centrifugal forces from the rotation of the Earth. The earth’s layers can also be classified according to their rheology, based on their ability to deform and flow.

How do magnetic properties of seafloor rocks support the theory of plate tectonics quizlet?

Magnetic rocks on the seafloor can record Earth’s magnetic field direction when they form. Whenever Earth’s magnetic field reverses, newly forming iron minerals will record the magnetic reversal. … Describe how rock clues were used to support the hypothesis of continental drift.

What is magnetic orientation?

magnetic orientation The sensing by certain organisms of the direction of the geomagnetic field and their use of it for purposes of orientation.