The oldest rock on the ocean floor can be found in the central parts of the ocean basins, particularly in regions known as abyssal plains. These rocks are generally around 200 million years old or older.
Somewhere at the bottom of the Marianas Trench you would find the oldest rock of the oceanic crust. Somewhere else, however, there are older rocks on the ocean floor--those deposited by icebergs that have broken off of glaciers. Those erratic rocks could be much older than the oldest oceanic crust.
The youngest rocks on the ocean floor are typically found along mid-ocean ridges. These areas are where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and the process of seafloor spreading. As the magma cools and solidifies, it creates new rocks that are relatively young compared to rocks found in other parts of the ocean floor.
You would find the oldest crust on Earth in certain parts of continental areas, such as the Canadian Shield or parts of Western Australia. These areas contain rocks that are over 3 billion years old, making them some of the oldest crust on the planet.
Scientists discovered that the rocks that were found farther away from the ridge the sample was taken from, the older the rocks were. The most recent rocks were always in the center of the ridges. This showed that sea-floor spreading really has taken place.
Scientists have discovered a variety of things at the ocean floor, including new species of marine life, underwater volcanoes, hydrothermal vents, and deep-sea trenches. They have also found evidence of ancient civilizations, shipwrecks, and valuable resources like oil and minerals. Exploration of the ocean floor continues to reveal new and exciting discoveries about our planet's underwater world.
Somewhere at the bottom of the Marianas Trench you would find the oldest rock of the oceanic crust. Somewhere else, however, there are older rocks on the ocean floor--those deposited by icebergs that have broken off of glaciers. Those erratic rocks could be much older than the oldest oceanic crust.
Somewhere at the bottom of the Marianas Trench you would find the oldest rock of the oceanic crust. Somewhere else, however, there are older rocks on the ocean floor--those deposited by icebergs that have broken off of glaciers. Those erratic rocks could be much older than the oldest oceanic crust.
where do you expect to find the oldest rock on the ocean floor
You would most likely find the oldest seafloor in the deepest parts of the ocean, specifically in the abyssal plains. The seafloor in these regions is oldest because it is farthest away from the mid-ocean ridges where new seafloor is constantly being created through seafloor spreading.
Somewhere at the bottom of the Marianas Trench you would find the oldest rock of the oceanic crust. Somewhere else, however, there are older rocks on the ocean floor--those deposited by icebergs that have broken off of glaciers. Those erratic rocks could be much older than the oldest oceanic crust.
the bottom
in the deep oceon floor
At the greatest distance from a mid oceanic spreading centre.
sand,rocks
The ocean floor is mainly basalt. Closer to the poles you would occassionally find a glacial erratic, dropped from a melting iceberg.
Abyssal hills are small hills that rise from the abyssal plain, which is the floor of the ocean.
sand