Sea-Floor Spreading Hypothesis

The Sea-Floor Spreading Hypothesis suggests that new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges, where tectonic plates pull apart. As magma rises from the mantle, it cools and solidifies, creating new ocean floor. This process causes the ocean floors to gradually move away from the ridges. Consequently, older oceanic crust gets pushed deeper into the Earth at subduction zones. This hypothesis helps explain the movement of continents, the age of ocean floors, and the geological activity associated with plate tectonics, reshaping our understanding of Earth's structure and dynamics over time.