Hess's law states that the total enthalpy change for a chemical reaction is the sum of the enthalpy changes for each individual step of the reaction, regardless of the pathway taken. This allows us to determine the enthalpy change of a reaction by adding the enthalpy changes of multiple known reactions that, when combined, yield the desired overall reaction. By using this principle, we can calculate enthalpy changes even when the reaction cannot be measured directly. Thus, Hess's law provides a systematic way to obtain enthalpy values from existing data.
Hess's and Wegener's theories are interconnected in their exploration of continental movement and plate tectonics. Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift, suggesting that continents were once joined and have since moved apart. Harry Hess later contributed to this understanding with his theory of seafloor spreading, which explained how new oceanic crust forms at mid-ocean ridges and pushes continents apart. Together, their ideas laid the foundation for the modern understanding of plate tectonics.
One key piece of evidence not included in support of Harry Hess's hypothesis of sea-floor spreading was the discovery of paleomagnetic data. While Hess's theory focused on the creation of new oceanic crust at mid-ocean ridges and the recycling of crust at subduction zones, the paleomagnetic records provided insights into the historical movement of continents and the magnetic orientation of rocks, which later supported the theory of plate tectonics. Other evidence, such as the age of oceanic crust and the distribution of fossils, played a more direct role in supporting his hypothesis.