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It creates a mid ocean ridge, the two plates pulling apart is called a divergent boundary.

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What is the process called that creates new ocean floor from diverging plates?

The process is called seafloor spreading. It occurs at mid-ocean ridges where tectonic plates move away from each other, allowing magma to rise and solidify, creating new oceanic crust.


How did the discovery about seafloor spreading modify the theory of Continental drift?

Seafloor spreading explained WHY and how Continental Drift occurs. How can lands be 'moving' without a catastrophic or even noticeable change--- seafloor spreading accounts for these small changes. It identifies where the actual changes take place (even if we cannot identify the exact spots where spreading occurs). We can better estimate how much the "spreading" equates to observable/measurable changes of continents, specifically how fast (slowly) continents are moving closer or further apart. Seafloor spreading explains other phenomena, too, like the expulsion of methane gas pockets at the ocean floor which are suspected to interfere with flotation of ships and possibly the downing of airplanes that pass over where methane is released when methane gas disrupts the air above the water. Seafloor spreading also gives clues as to how mountains and valleys form underwater and on land.


What is the process in which new sea floor forms as other older sea floor is pulled apart?

The process is called seafloor spreading. It occurs at mid-ocean ridges where tectonic plates move apart, allowing magma to rise from the mantle and cool and solidify, creating new oceanic crust. This process is driven by plate tectonics and results in the continuous expansion of the ocean basins.


What occurs at plate boundaries that are associated with seafloor spreading?

At plate boundaries associated with seafloor spreading, two tectonic plates move away from each other, creating new oceanic crust between them. Magma rises to the surface, solidifies, and forms mid-ocean ridges. This process contributes to the widening of ocean basins and the continuous movement of Earth's lithosphere.


When to oceanic plates move away from each other what is it called?

When oceanic plates move away from each other, the process is called seafloor spreading. This occurs at divergent plate boundaries, where magma rises from the mantle to create new oceanic crust as the plates separate. This process often leads to the formation of mid-ocean ridges.

Related Questions

What is the movement called when the seafloor divided where the two plates moved from each other?

The movement you are referring to is called seafloor spreading. It occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where two tectonic plates move apart from each other, causing magma to rise and solidify, creating new oceanic crust.


What is the process called that creates new ocean floor from diverging plates?

The process is called seafloor spreading. It occurs at mid-ocean ridges where tectonic plates move away from each other, allowing magma to rise and solidify, creating new oceanic crust.


What is the seafloor spreading apart at?

The rate at which the seafloor is spreading apart can vary, but typically it ranges from a few centimeters to a few tens of centimeters per year. This spreading occurs along mid-ocean ridges where tectonic plates are moving away from each other, creating new oceanic crust.


Seafloor is the process by which new crust is created when the seafloor moves apart and magma rises up?

Seafloor spreading is a geological process where tectonic plates move away from each other, allowing magma from the mantle to rise and solidify, creating new oceanic crust. This process occurs at mid-ocean ridges and is a key component of plate tectonics theory.


How do you explain the process of the seafloor spreading?

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


How did the discovery about seafloor spreading modify the theory of Continental drift?

Seafloor spreading explained WHY and how Continental Drift occurs. How can lands be 'moving' without a catastrophic or even noticeable change--- seafloor spreading accounts for these small changes. It identifies where the actual changes take place (even if we cannot identify the exact spots where spreading occurs). We can better estimate how much the "spreading" equates to observable/measurable changes of continents, specifically how fast (slowly) continents are moving closer or further apart. Seafloor spreading explains other phenomena, too, like the expulsion of methane gas pockets at the ocean floor which are suspected to interfere with flotation of ships and possibly the downing of airplanes that pass over where methane is released when methane gas disrupts the air above the water. Seafloor spreading also gives clues as to how mountains and valleys form underwater and on land.


How magnetic reversal provides evidence for seafloor spreading?

The Earth's crust is broken into many slowly moving plates. Sea floor spreading occurs at the mid ocean ridge where two plates are moving away from each other. Magma rises up from below and cools to form new seafloor rock


What is the process in which new sea floor forms as other older sea floor is pulled apart?

The process is called seafloor spreading. It occurs at mid-ocean ridges where tectonic plates move apart, allowing magma to rise from the mantle and cool and solidify, creating new oceanic crust. This process is driven by plate tectonics and results in the continuous expansion of the ocean basins.


Does sea floor spreading occur at a convergent boundary?

No, sea floor spreading does not occur at a convergent boundary. Sea floor spreading occurs at divergent boundaries where tectonic plates move away from each other, allowing magma to rise and create new oceanic crust. At convergent boundaries, two plates collide, leading to subduction or crustal deformation.


What kinds of ocean currents might cause seafloor spreading?

Oceanic currents themselves do not directly cause seafloor spreading. Seafloor spreading is primarily driven by tectonic forces, specifically the movement of tectonic plates away from each other at mid-ocean ridges. This movement leads to the upwelling of magma from the mantle, creating new oceanic crust at the spreading center. Ocean currents can affect the distribution of heat and nutrients in the ocean, but they do not play a direct role in the process of seafloor spreading.


What occurs at plate boundaries that are associated with seafloor spreading?

At plate boundaries associated with seafloor spreading, two tectonic plates move away from each other, creating new oceanic crust between them. Magma rises to the surface, solidifies, and forms mid-ocean ridges. This process contributes to the widening of ocean basins and the continuous movement of Earth's lithosphere.


When to oceanic plates move away from each other what is it called?

When oceanic plates move away from each other, the process is called seafloor spreading. This occurs at divergent plate boundaries, where magma rises from the mantle to create new oceanic crust as the plates separate. This process often leads to the formation of mid-ocean ridges.