Magnetic Stripes On Sea Floor

These patterns were unlike any seen for continental rocks.

Magnetic stripes on sea floor. When scientists studied patterns in the rocks of the ocean floor they found more support for sea floor spreading. Magnetic stripes and isotopic clocks oceanographic exploration in the 1950s led to a much better understanding of the ocean floor. Magnetic striping of the sea floor after mid ocean ridges and trenches were discovered more evidence was discovered that helped to support the theory that the continents had moved around. The theory of plate tectonics states that the lithosphere which is the earth s outer layer is divided up into a dozens of irregularly shaped plates.

Among the new findings was the discovery of zebra stripe like magnetic patterns for the rocks of the ocean floor. What they discovered was that the magnetism of the ocean floor around mid ocean ridges was divided into matching stripes on either side of the. You read earlier that earth behaves like a giant magnet with a north pole and a south pole. These two things were the magnetic striping on the ocean floor and the age of seafloor rocks.

By using the magnetometer the magnetic polarity will be shown through a timescale that contains the normal and a reverse polarity. Surprisingly earth s magnetic poles have reversed themselves many times during earth s history. Magnetic striping magnetic minerals are found in rocks. In the 20th century the magnetic survey was conducted in the mid ocean ridge in order to investigate evidence of sea floor spreading.