GEOLOGY

EARTH SCIENCE

TECTONICS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Molten material adds new crust to the ocean floor, pushing continents apart, in a process called
A
seafloor spreading
B
continental crust
C
original horizontality
D
continent spreading
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -The seafloor spreading definition is the geologic process that occurs at the boundary between 2 plates where molten material within the earth pushes its way up, causing the plates to move away from each other. At these divergent boundaries molten material cools and hardens, creating new oceanic crust or seafloor.

Detailed explanation-2: -Sea-Floor Spreading. At the mid-ocean ridge, molten material rises from the mantle and erupts. The molten material then spreads out, pushing older rock to both sides of the ridge. Hess called this process that continually adds new material to the ocean floor sea-floor spreading.

Detailed explanation-3: -Seafloor spreading occurs at divergent plate boundaries. As tectonic plates slowly move away from each other, heat from the mantle’s convection currents makes the crust more plastic and less dense. The less-dense material rises, often forming a mountain or elevated area of the seafloor. Eventually, the crust cracks.

Detailed explanation-4: -New ocean floor forms along cracks in the ocean crust as molten material erupts from the mantle spreading out and pushing older rocks to the sides of the crack. New ocean floor is continually added by the process of sea-floor spreading.

Detailed explanation-5: -Divergent boundaries. Divergent boundaries occur along spreading centers where plates are moving apart and new crust is created by magma pushing up from the mantle.

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