Ocean Floor Mapping Plate Tectonics

As upwelling of magma continues the plates continue to diverge a process known as seafloor spreading.
Ocean floor mapping plate tectonics. Maps showing earth s major tectonic plates. Would prove to be vital to advancing the concept of plate tectonics. Before the 19th century the depths of the open ocean were largely a matter of speculation and most people thought that the ocean floor was relatively flat and featureless. Samples collected from the ocean floor show that the age of oceanic crust increases with distance from the spreading centre important evidence in favour of this process.
Tharp was a pioneer in science both as a woman and for her mapmaking. Bathymetry the shape of the ocean floor is largely a result of a process called plate tectonics the outer rocky layer of the earth includes about a dozen large sections called tectonic plates that are arranged like a spherical jig saw puzzle floating on top of the earth s hot flowing mantle. Oceanic cartographer marie tharp helped prove the theory of continental drift with her detailed maps of the ocean floor. Ocean floor mapping about two thirds of the earth s surface lies beneath the oceans.
These days the mid atlantic ridge tharp mapped is seen as evidence for seafloor spreading and continental drift a divergent tectonic plate boundary where magma boils up from inside earth s. Morphology of sea floor continental margins mid ocean ridges deep sea floors ocean trenches seamount chains fracture zones rift valleys continental drift sea floor spreading plate tectonics origin of sea floor contents 1. These age data also allow the rate of seafloor spreading to be. Mid ocean ridges are divergent boundaries where convection currents in the mantle lift the ocean floor and produce a rift in the lithosphere that follows the crest of the ridge.
Her work also revealed the presence of a continuous rift valley along the axis. Principal provinces of sea floor 3. Plate tectonics and the ocean floor. Marie tharp july 30 1920 august 23 2006 was an american geologist and oceanographic cartographer who in partnership with bruce heezen created the first scientific map of the atlantic ocean floor tharp s work revealed the detailed topography and multi dimensional geographical landscape of the ocean bottom.
Plate tectonics plate tectonics seafloor spreading. It didn t provide dates or chemical analyses of the ocean floor but it did uncover long oceanic ridges steep canyons and many other landforms that are indicators of plate tectonics. This animation by rosanna wan for th.