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in magma and lava, there are magnetic minerals, called magnetite. When new magma reaches the surface, these minerals start to align with the existing magnetic 'field' around the earth, starting at the North pole, and ending at the South pole. once the magma cools, these minerals remain at this inclination. These rocks often form on the sea floor, where 2 plates are moving apart. Every 10,000 years (or so), the magnetic poles switch. So it would start at the south pole, to the north pole. This means the inclination of the minerals would swap in new magma. So as the sea continues to spread, there is a striped appearance on the sea floor, where the are symmetrical bands of alternating magnetically inclined rocks. Hope that helps :)

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12y ago

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