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The East Pacific Rise is spreading faster than the Mid Atlantic Ridge. True or False?

User Tuncalik
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Final answer:

The East Pacific Rise is indeed spreading faster than the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and this can be determined by comparing the ages of the seafloor in both locations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement is true; the East Pacific Rise is spreading faster than the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. We can determine this by comparing seafloor ages between the two locations. Seafloor spreading rates can be calculated by measuring the distance that the new seafloor has moved from the ridge and dividing by the age of the seafloor. Since Pangea began breaking apart around 200 million years ago, and considering the evidence provided by continental drift and plate tectonics, we can establish that the East Pacific Rise has a higher spreading rate due to the younger age of the seafloor found there when compared to the seafloor of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South America.

User PentaKon
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