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Rocks on the sea floor are very young because most have resulted from recent volcanic activity. Volcanic activity is constantly erupting on the ocean's floor and creating new rocks.

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Q: Why are sea floor rocks so young?
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Where are the youngest rocks on the ocean floor typically found?

fault line


How did scientists find out that rocks farther away from the mid-ocean ridges were older than those near it?

Radiometric dating. They sampled the basaltic rocks of the sea floor, and analyzed their radioisotope ratios. This produces an accurate age. They also measured the paleomagnetic striping on the sea floor, and have matched sea floor rock ages to those on land. The radioisotope dates are in good agreement with the measured rates of sea floor spreading. Currently, for example, the Atlantic Ocean is opening by a few inches per year. The Pacific sea floor is spreading even faster, but it is sucked beneath the American and Asian plate margins faster yet, creating orogeny (mountain building) particularly along the western edge of the north and south American plates. In other words, the Pacific Ocean is shrinking, even though its floor spreads a bit faster. This is expected to continue for another half billion years or so, and then reverse, in what is known as the Wilson cycle.


Do all rocks sink?

It depends on the type of rock. A rock like sandstone would not sink if it is a small peice. Small rocks can float. That's when its called silt.


Where geographically is basalt in California?

Basalt is normally found on the sea floor because it is so dense. However, it is also rich in the Klamath Mountains of northern California.


How are rocks broken down by weathering?

rocks are broken down by weathering when corrosion takes place. this is when sea water is very corrosive and can slowly dissolve chalk and limestone, increasing the size of cracks and joints so that the forces of erosion are more effective.

Related questions

Where are the youngest rocks on the ocean floor typically found?

fault line


How do rocks along the central valley of the mid ocean ridge provide evidence for sea floor spreading?

because the scientists found that the farther the rocks the older the rocks were. so the youngest rocks were found near the mid-ocean ridge. this showed that sea-floor spreading took place. +++ The primary evidence is "magnetic striping": remnant magnetising by the Earth's magnetic field of the iron compounds in the basalt forming the ocean floor. The magnetic traces are parallel to the spreading-ridges, and their polarity reflect the field's periodic reversal. The further from the ridge, the older the stripes. The rock is imprinted with the magnetism as it cools below a certain point in being eruped along the ridge.


Why is owl city so awesome?

Because Adam young rocks!


What does 'bed' mean in geography?

Bed means the bottom of the sea bed so the bottom of the sea were the floor is


How old are rocks in ocean crust?

The age of rocks in the ocean crust depends on where the rocks are collected. Scientists collected rock samples from the sea floor. They found out that rock samples that were closer to mid-ocean ridges were younger than the samples farther away from the ridges. So pretty much you could get rocks that are thousands of years old to over millions of year old.


Rocks on the ocean floor are an indicator of what?

Regoliths in the Alluvium subcategory, that is loose rocks and soils which cover a layer solid rocks, found on the ocean floor are in part the result of glacial rafting. As a glacier calves into the ocean, it creates ice burgs. Because glaciers are so erosive, they often carry pieces of broken rock within their ice. As they float out to sea, they melt, and drop any debris that they are carrying. These form regoliths known as "drop stones" on the ocean floor, and are indicative of cold conditions. Alluvium may also be from volcanic activity, turbidite, or other weathering events. Rocks exposed on the ocean floor, that are not regoliths, can indicate the direction of magnetic north when that rock formed.


How do sea stars avoid being washed out to sea?

they have special suckers attached to their points so that they can stay on rocks and such like.


What is the ocean-floor evidence of pole reversals?

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 :)


Where do tsunamis get their destructive power?

The source of energy is from movement of the sea floor or sediment on the sea floor. This movement displaces some water and so gives energy to the water.


How did scientists find out that rocks farther away from the mid-ocean ridges were older than those near it?

Radiometric dating. They sampled the basaltic rocks of the sea floor, and analyzed their radioisotope ratios. This produces an accurate age. They also measured the paleomagnetic striping on the sea floor, and have matched sea floor rock ages to those on land. The radioisotope dates are in good agreement with the measured rates of sea floor spreading. Currently, for example, the Atlantic Ocean is opening by a few inches per year. The Pacific sea floor is spreading even faster, but it is sucked beneath the American and Asian plate margins faster yet, creating orogeny (mountain building) particularly along the western edge of the north and south American plates. In other words, the Pacific Ocean is shrinking, even though its floor spreads a bit faster. This is expected to continue for another half billion years or so, and then reverse, in what is known as the Wilson cycle.


Is Brazilian cherry a good hardwood floor?

Yes, it is a very good floor, but it does scratch easily. So if you have young kids or pets it would'nt be a good floor


Why sulphide compounds generally found as rocks whereas chlorine compounds generally found in sea water?

Most of the metallic sulphides are insoluble in water so such compounds can not move with rivers to the sea so their maximum ratio is in rocks form.