What theory did Harry Hess suggest?

What theory did Harry Hess suggest?

Sea Floor Spreading
He published ‘The History of Ocean Basins’ in 1962, in which he outlined a theory that could explain how the continents could actually drift. This theory later became known as ‘Sea Floor Spreading’.

What did Harry Hess say that explained the existence of the trenches and ridges?

Hess reasoned that the sediment has been accumulating for about 300 million years at most. This interval is approximately the time needed for the ocean floor to move from the ridge crest to the trenches, where oceanic crust descends into the trench and is destroyed.

What did Harry Hess propose about the mid-ocean ridges?

Hess in 1960. On the basis of Tharp’s efforts and other new discoveries about the deep-ocean floor, Hess postulated that molten material from Earth’s mantle continuously wells up along the crests of the mid-ocean ridges that wind for nearly 80,000 km (50,000 miles) through all the world’s oceans.

What did Harry Hess discover that led to the theory of plate tectonics?

Dr. Hess’ most significant contribution to the plate tectonic theory began in 1945 when he was the commander of the U.S.S. In the paper Hess described how hot magma would rise from under the crust at the Great Global Rift. When the magma cooled, it would expand and push the tectonic plates apart.

What are the lines of evidence that support the plate movement?

Evidence from fossils, glaciers, and complementary coastlines helps reveal how the plates once fit together. Fossils tell us when and where plants and animals once existed. Some life “rode” on diverging plates, became isolated, and evolved into new species.

What contributed to the theory of plate tectonics?

Many scientists contributed to the development of plate tectonics. Alfred Wegener laid the foundation of plate movements with his continental drift theory. Harry Hess proposed the theory of seafloor spreading which supported the continental drift theory.

What was Harry hess’idea of sea floor spreading?

In the paper it outlined what Hess’ idea of Sea Floor Spreading was. It is the process by which molten rock comes up through mid-ocean ridges, cooling and creating new sea floor that moves away from the ridge and later sinks into a deep ocean trench.

How did Harry Hess become interested in geology?

Harry Hammond Hess. Harry Hess was a professor of geology at Princeton University (USA), and became interested in the geology of the oceans while serving in the US Navy in World War II. His time as a Navy officer was an opportunity to use sonar (also called echo sounding), then a new technology, to map the ocean floor across the North Pacific.

When did Harry Hammond Hess publish his theory?

Harry Hammond Hess. He published ‘ The History of Ocean Basins ‘ in 1962, in which he outlined a theory that could explain how the continents could actually drift. This theory later became known as ‘ Sea Floor Spreading ‘.

What did Harry Hess do during World War 2?

During World War II, Hess was the captain of a Naval ship and used the ship’s sonar to take depth readings of the Atlantic Ocean. He used this data to hypothesize on the way the seafloor was moving, which became known as his Seafloor Spreading Hypothesis.