Table of Contents
- 1 Why are rocks next to the mid-ocean ridge younger?
- 2 Why do we not find older seafloor rocks?
- 3 Why is the oldest seafloor less than 180 million years when the oldest continental crust is about 4 billion years old?
- 4 What is the best explanation for why there is no oceanic crust older than 180 million years old yet we have found continental crust that is 4.2 billion years old?
- 5 Why is the oceanic crust so young compared to the continental crust?
- 6 Why is the seafloor so young in the ocean?
Why are rocks next to the mid-ocean ridge younger?
The scientists found that the farther the rocks the older the rocks were,so the youngest rocks were found near the mid-ocean ridge. This showed that sea-floor spreading took place because that fact that rocks were because pushed out showed us that the sea-floor was spreading.
Why do we not find older seafloor rocks?
In essence, oceanic plates are more susceptible to subduction as they get older. Because of this correlation between age and subduction potential, very little ocean floor is older than 125 million years and almost none of it is older than 200 million years.
Why is the oldest seafloor less than 180 million years when the oldest continental crust is about 4 billion years old?
Why is the oldest seafloor less than 180 million years old and the oldest continental crust about 4 billion? It is because of subduction, oceanic crust tends to get colder and denser with age as it spreads from the mid-ocean ridges.
Which of the following best explains why the oceanic crust is youngest at the oceanic ridges?
Explanation: Mid Ocean ridges are the source of new crustal material. It is thought that convection currents brings fresh magma to the surface at the divergent boundaries The youngest part of the world crust is found in oceanic crust next to the mid ocean ridges.
Why are oceanic plates younger than Continental?
The oceanic plate is subducted back into the mantle, thus destroying oceanic crust, to balance the crust being produced at the mid oceanic ridges. This is why all oceanic crust is much younger than the continental crust; it is constantly being recycled.
What is the best explanation for why there is no oceanic crust older than 180 million years old yet we have found continental crust that is 4.2 billion years old?
What is the best explanation for why there is no oceanic crust older than 180 million years old, yet we have found continental crust that is 4.2 billion years old? Oceanic crust is constantly being recycled at seafloor trenches,, so the oldest oceanic crusts has long since been destroyed.
Why is the oceanic crust so young compared to the continental crust?
The oldest oceanic crust is about 260 million years old. This sounds old but is actually very young compared to the oldest continental rocks, which are 4 billion years old. Why is the seafloor so young? It is due to the process of subduction; oceanic crust tends to get colder and denser with age as it spreads off the mid-ocean ridges.
Why is the seafloor so young in the ocean?
Why is the seafloor so young? It is due to the process of subduction; oceanic crust tends to get colder and denser with age as it spreads off the mid-ocean ridges. It gets so dense, that it sinks in the upper mantle (subduction). This is like a giant recycling system for the oceanic lithosphere.
How old is the crust found at cratons?
The continental crust found at cratons is typically 1 to 2 billion years old because it is not being destroyed by subduction. It can be slowly eroded and destroyed, and then formed into new continental rock, but that process is much slower. The cratons make up only a small portion of continental crust.
How old is the oldest crust on Earth?
The oldest oceanic crust is about 260 million years old. This sounds old but is actually very young compared to the oldest continental rocks, which are 4 billion years old. Why is the seafloor so young?