Question

Without the discovery of magnetic reversals on the ocean floor, what would scientists not be able to confirm?

a) Usefulness of sonar
b) Hypothesis of continental drift
c) Mechanism for moving continents
d) Explanation of seafloor destruction

Answer 1

Discovery of magnetic reversals on the ocean floor confirmed the hypothesis of continental drift by providing evidence for the mechanism of plate tectonics and continent movement.

Step-by-step explanation:

Without the discovery of magnetic reversals on the ocean floor, scientists would not have been able to confirm the hypothesis of continental drift. This discovery provided crucial evidence for the theory of plate tectonics, which serves as a mechanism for explaining how continents move. Magnetic reversals showed patterns of stripes on the seafloor that were symmetrical on either side of the mid-ocean ridges, suggesting that new crust was being formed at these ridges and spreading outward. This process thus offered a believable mechanism for how continents could drift apart over time, which had been missing from Alfred Wegener's original proposal.