Question

Sea Floor Spreading and Plate Tectonics (What Hess Discovered)

a) The movement of tectonic plates
b) Magnetic striping on the ocean floor
c) Evidence of continental drift
d) Formation of mid-ocean ridges

Answer 1

Plate tectonics is a theory that explains the movement of tectonic plates and the formation of land features. Harry Hess discovered sea floor spreading and magnetic striping on the ocean floor, which provided evidence for continental drift and a historical record of the Earth's magnetic field.

Step-by-step explanation:

Plate tectonics is a fundamental theory in geology that explains the movement of tectonic plates and the formation of land features like mid-ocean ridges. Harry Hess discovered sea floor spreading, which is the process where volcanic and other activities at the mid-Atlantic ridge extrude material to fill the gap between separating tectonic plates associated with continental drift. Magnetic striping on the ocean floor is another important discovery by Hess, which showed that the magnetization of rocks reverses in a coordinated manner with distance from the ridge. This evidence supported the theory of continental drift and provided a historical record of the Earth's magnetic field.