Final answer:
Ocean water depths increase with seafloor age due to crustal cooling and sedimentation, while subduction does not directly affect this incremental deepening. 1. Subduction is involved in the destruction of crust at convergent plate boundaries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ocean water depths increase systematically with seafloor age due to a variety of factors, including crustal cooling, sedimentation, and spreading rate. However, the movement away from the ridges and the increasing water depths are not directly affected by 1. subduction. Subduction is the process by which one tectonic plate is forced below another into the mantle when two plates converge. It is associated with the destruction of crust at the subduction zones, balancing material created at rift zones.
Crustal cooling and sedimentation contribute to the incremental deepening of the ocean floor as you move away from the mid-ocean ridges. As the oceanic crust cools, it becomes denser and subsides, leading to deeper water depths.
Additionally, over time, sediments accumulate on the seafloor, further increasing water depth. The rate at which the seafloor spreads can influence age and the process of widening the ocean basin but does not directly increase water depth away from the ridges.