Continental Drift Theory was

not widely accepted despite the

evidences presented by Wegener
because He wasn’t able to
provide plausible explanation
how continents drifted apart or
how drifting took place.
The Timing After Continental Drift Lead To…
Seafloor Spreading
Theory

The Proof
SEAFLOOR SPREADING
Sonars & Submersible
Enables the
Scientists to make
better observations
and gather new
information about
ocean floor. Through
these devices,
scientists had a clear
view of the ocean
floor. They have
discovered
underwater features
deep within the ocean.
 Scientists found a
system of ridges or
mountain-like structure in
the seafloor. These are
called mid-ocean ridges.
 One of these is the
famous Mid-Atlantic Ridge
– an “undersea mountain
chain” in the Atlantic
Ocean.
 In 1962, Harry Hess
with Robert Dietz
suggested an
explanation to the
Continental Drift
SEAFLOOR SPREADING

is a geologic process that

occurs where new oceanic
crust is formed through
volcanic activity then
gradually move the older
rocks away from the ridge.
Hot less dense material from below the
earth’s crust is forced up towards the ocean
floor cooling off when it touches water.
When the magma hardens, a small amount
of new ocean floor is added to the Earth’s
crust. As more magma rises and cools it
pushes the new sea floor away from the
ridge. This process is called sea floor
spreading.
Sea floor Spreading Theory
The theory states “that
new ocean crust is being
created at mid-ocean ridges
(which are large mountain
chains underwater) and
destroyed at deep-sea
trenches”.
Proof that the Sea floor is
Spreading:
1.The rocks closest to the
ocean ridge were younger
than the rocks found further
from the ridge. This means
that new rocks are formed at
the ridges and push the older
rocks away from the ridge.
Proof that the Sea floor is
Spreading:
2. Ocean floor rocks are
young compared to the age of
Earth. The oldest ocean floor
rocks ever found are 180 million
years old while the Earth is 4.6
billion years old.
Proof that the Sea floor is
Spreading:
3. Rocks at the ocean
floor are younger than
those at the continents.
Proof that the Sea floor is
Spreading:
4. Sediments are
thinner at the ridge
Proof that the Sea floor is
Spreading:
5. Geologists also discovered
that the rocks found at
oceanic ridges showed the
magnetic reversals that the
Earth has undergone.
Magnetic Reversal
(Magnetic Flip) –
process by which the North
pole is transformed into a
South pole and the South
pole becomes a North pole.
When magma cools, the iron cools
into the mineral magnetite. It lines
up parallel to the Earth’s present
magnetic field. This iron is like
compass needles, pointing north.
So when the rock hardens, a record
of the Earth’s magnetic field at that
time is locked in stone----so to
speak
Magnetic reversal
happens due to the
change in the
direction of flow in the
Outer Core.
Harry Hess proposed
that the Sea floor itself
that was pushing the
continents to drift apart.
Mantle Convection Current
Theory
Arthur Holmes was an English geologist. He
presented his ideas on mantle convection on
January 12, 1928.

He suggested that thermal

convection currents in the mantle
were the force moving the
continents.
Mantle Convection Current
Theory
The less dense particles rise while
denser particles sink. Once the hot
less dense particles cool down,
they sink, and the other less dense
particles rise. This continuous
process is called convection
current.
Plate Tectonics
the unifying theory of geology
It provides geology with comprehensive
theory that explains…
“How the Earth works”
This theory states that Earth's
outermost layer, the lithosphere, is
broken into several plates that glide
over the mantle.