The Rocks On The Ocean Floor Are Magnetic

Basalt the once molten rock that makes up most new oceanic crust is a fairly magnetic substance and scientists began using magnetometers to measure the magnetism of the ocean floor in the 1950s what they discovered was that the magnetism of the ocean floor around.

The rocks on the ocean floor are magnetic. The fraction of a rocks overall magnetization that is a viscous remanent magnetization is dependent on the magnetic mineralogy. The volcanic and sedimentary rocks record the paleomagnetism at the time when that part of the ocean floor was created. Basalts contain magnetic minerals which get aligned in the direction of the magnetic field when the rock solidifies. Evidence from molten material.

Plates move as new rock forms which causes magnetic direction to skew away. This evidence led scientists to look again at wegener s hypothesis of continental drift. The magnetism of mid ocean ridges helped scientists first identify the process of seafloor spreading in the early 20th century. Magnetic striping of the sea floor after mid ocean ridges and trenches were discovered more evidence was discovered that helped to support the theory that the continents had moved around.

Magnetic stripes and isotopic clocks oceanographic exploration in the 1950s led to a much better understanding of the ocean floor. Evidence for sea floor spreading. These patterns were unlike any seen for continental rocks. Select the two correct answers.

Identify the factors that cause magnetic stripes to form along the ocean floor. The oldest rocks on the ocean floor are 200 mya very young when compared with the oldest continental rocks which date from 3 8 billion years ago. The oceanic crust displays a pattern of magnetic lines parallel to the ocean ridges frozen in the basalt. As rocks crystallize from lava at the ridges they literally record the magnetic field of the earth at the time of their creation.

These stripes of normal and reverse magnetic fields with different sizes can be matched with the geomagnetic reversals records obtained from continental rocks already dated. Magma acquires the magnetic direction present on earth when it hardens into rock 3. Paleomagnetic procedure collecting samples on land. Magnetic striping magnetic minerals are found in rocks.

Among the new findings was the discovery of zebra stripe like magnetic patterns for the rocks of the ocean floor. This is how scientists get the age of the seafloor. New rock is formed by magma at the mid ocean ridges and the ocean floor spreads out from this point. Magnetic direction of rock changes as earth s magnetic poles drift.

Several types of evidence supported hess s theory of sea floor spreading. The ocean floor is mainly made up of basalt which is formed as a result of underwater volcanic activity. A symmetrical pattern of positive and negative magnetic lines emanates from the mid ocean ridge. These two things were the magnetic striping on the ocean floor and the age of seafloor rocks.