Are Continents Attached To The Ocean Floor
Continential drift occurs when the continents change position in relation to each other.
Are continents attached to the ocean floor. In the ocean basins along mid ocean ridges or rises and in some shallow seas plates are thought to be diverging slowly and continuously at a rate of several centimeters yearly. As the atlantic s floor spreads the continents along its edges also move. Harry hess argues that the continents had once been one and have drifted apart. Hess proposes sea floor spreading 1960.
In most places the oceanic crust of the atlantic ocean is attached to the continental crust of the continents around the ocean. While plate tectonics is a relatively new idea scientists have been gathering data in support of the continental drift theory for a very long time. Wegener believed that the ocean floor and the continents simply moved around each other without deformation to either. On continents rocks of up to 3 5 billion years old can be found while the oldest rock found on the ocean floor is not more than 75 million years old western part of pacific floor.
Older rocks form the continents while younger rocks are present on the ocean floor. The continental shelves of zealandia lie at a depth of about 3 280 feet 1 000 meters below sea level. Evidence suggesting sea floor spreading is claimed by many geologists to be the most compelling argument for plate tectonics. This ocean has only a few short trenches.
Oceanic crust is simply cycling as a conveyor belt and not expanding the sea floor to cause continental drift. With the discovery of plate tectonics and the mapping of the earth. When the plates move the continents and ocean floor above them move as well. Wegener believed that the continents plowed through the thin ocean floor as they changed positions.
As we move towards ridges still younger rocks appear. This graphic shows several ocean floor features on a scale from 0 35 000 feet below sea level. The first line of evidence comes simply from looking at the ocean floor around new zealand. Continental shelf 300 feet continental slope 300 10 000 feet abyssal plain 10 000 feet abyssal hill 3 000 feet up from the abyssal plain seamount 6 000 feet.
The following features are shown at example depths to scale though each feature has a considerable range at which it may occur. You re forgetting one key feature. As a result the spreading ocean floor has almost nowhere to go. Wegener believed that the continents bent downwards and subducted under the ocean floor.