Researched
Seafloor Spreading
Hess (1962) proposes that new seafloor forms at mid-ocean ridges; Vine and Matthews (1963) find magnetic stripes that prove it.
Open in the interactive tree →Rock formed at the ridge records the Earth's magnetic field, whose direction reverses over time, so symmetric stripes show the floor spreading apart. The finding turned continental drift into plate tectonics.
Prerequisites
Unlocks
- Plate tectonics1960sSeafloor spreading and magnetic stripes turned drift into plate tectonics