answersLogoWhite

0

Reverse polarity in seafloor spreading refers to the phenomenon where the Earth's magnetic field flips, causing the magnetic orientation of newly formed oceanic crust to be opposite to the current magnetic field. As magma rises at mid-ocean ridges and solidifies, it records the Earth's magnetic field direction at that time. Periodically, these reversals are captured in the rock layers, creating a pattern of magnetic stripes on either side of the ridge. This pattern provides evidence for seafloor spreading and helps to date the age of the oceanic crust.

User Avatar

AnswerBot

1mo ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

How does magnetic stripes prove seafloor spreading?

Magnetic stripes on the seafloor provide evidence for seafloor spreading because they show alternating bands of normal and reversed polarity along mid-ocean ridges. These stripes form as new oceanic crust is created at mid-ocean ridges, with the Earth's magnetic field aligning minerals in the crust in the direction of the prevailing polarity at the time of its formation. By collecting and analyzing samples from the ocean floor, scientists can observe these magnetic patterns and confirm the process of seafloor spreading over geologic time scales.


Magnetic strips on the seafloor are caused in part by?

Magnetic strips on the seafloor are caused in part by seafloor spreading, where new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges. As the crust cools and solidifies, it locks in the polarity of the Earth's magnetic field at the time, creating a recorded history of magnetic reversals. This process creates alternating stripes of normal and reversed polarity as the seafloor expands.


What did the magnetic strips prove in seafloor spreading?

They proved that the seafloor was spreading.


How does seafoor age and magnetic clues support seafloor spreading?

Seafloor is youngest near the mid-ocean ridges and gets progressively older as you move away from the ridge. Magnetic stripes on the seafloor provide evidence of seafloor spreading, as they show alternating patterns of normal and reversed magnetic polarity that match the Earth's magnetic reversals over time. This supports the theory of seafloor spreading as new oceanic crust is created at the mid-ocean ridge and spreads outward.


How to Diagram the process of seafloor spreading?

A diagram that shows how seafloor spreading works.


How do earth's magnetic signatures support the idea that continents move?

Scientists indicated that the seafloor was spreading, so the poles "reverse"


Seafloor spreading begins when?

Seafloor spreading is triggered by a rift in a continental land mass.


Which force is responsible for seafloor spreading?

Gravity in the oceanic crust is responsible for seafloor spreading.


Which observation was not instrumenntal in formulating the hypothesis of seafloor spreading?

The observation of the alternating magnetic stripes on the seafloor was instrumental in formulating the hypothesis of seafloor spreading.


Imagine that Earth and acirc and 128 and 153s magnetic field was fixed in place and the polarity didn't reverse. What effect would this have on our observations of seafloor basalts?

If Earth's magnetic field was fixed in place and did not reverse polarity, seafloor basalts would display a consistent magnetic orientation, making it more challenging to track long-term changes in Earth's magnetic field. This could impact our ability to study plate tectonics, as we rely on changes in magnetic polarity recorded in seafloor basalts to understand the movement of tectonic plates over time.


What does seafloor spreading have to do with the theory of continental drift?

Seafloor Spreading helped move the Continents to their current location.


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

Seafloor Spreading