Oceanic crust is eventually destroyed in subduction zones. Although oceanic crust has been forming on Earth for over 4 billion years, all of the sea floor older than about 200 million years has been recycled by plate tectonics. Continental crust is not subducted and destroyed, so very old continental rocks have survived.
Scientists discovered that rocks farther away from the mid-ocean ridge were older through radiometric dating of the rocks. By analyzing the age of the minerals within the rocks, researchers found that the rocks closest to the ridge were younger, while those farther away were older, supporting the theory of seafloor spreading.
Scientists discovered that rocks farther away from the mid-ocean ridge were older than those closer to it through radiometric dating of the rocks. By analyzing the age of the rocks using isotopes with known half-lives, they were able to determine that the rocks get progressively older as you move away from the ridge due to the process of seafloor spreading.
Scientists discovered that rocks farther away from the mid-ocean ridge were older than those near it through radiometric dating of the rocks. By measuring the age of the minerals within the rocks, they found that the farther rocks were older because they had been slowly moving away from the ridge as new crust formed at the ridge and pushed older crust farther out.
Yes
thye pulled rocks from a drill and studied them obviously
They discovered a pattern of reverse and normal polarity in the rock bodies of the ocean floor that indicated that oceanic crust was constantly being formed over time. Polarity shifts in the Earth had already been noted in continental crustal rock. With the advent of radiometric dating, core samples were taken and dated, confirming that the youngest rock is found at the ridge and rock age advances with distance from the ridge.
The rocks in the center of the Atlantic Ocean floor are younger because they are formed at mid-ocean ridges through volcanic activity, where tectonic plates are diverging. As magma rises and solidifies at these ridges, it creates new oceanic crust. In contrast, rocks found on the eastern and western margins of the Atlantic Ocean have been subjected to processes such as subduction and erosion, making them older. This process of seafloor spreading continually pushes older rocks away from the ridge, resulting in a younger ocean floor at the center.
Science determined the age of ocean floor rocks primarily through the principles of radiometric dating and seafloor spreading. By analyzing the magnetic properties of rocks, researchers observed that the ocean floor exhibits distinct patterns of magnetism that correspond to periods of magnetic reversal, which allows them to date the rocks based on their distance from mid-ocean ridges. Younger rocks are found closer to these ridges, where new crust is formed, while older rocks are located further away, supporting the theory of plate tectonics and the dynamic nature of the Earth's crust.
Continental Rocks are older
as you move away from an ocean ridge the rocks get older
i never know
The oldest rocks on the continents would be much older than the rocks on the sea floor because the rocks on the continents are not being removed unlike the rocks on the sea floor that are made by the mid-ocean ridge are being removed by deep ocean trenches. this prossess that is occuring on the sea floor is called sea floor spreading. evidence of this is the Pacific ocean shrinking and the Atlantic ocean growing.