Data Analysis: Seafloor Spreading

What happens to the age of oceanic crust as you move away from the mid-ocean ridge?

• It gets younger

• It stays the same

• It gets older

• It fluctuates randomly

This pattern of rock age supports seafloor spreading because:

• Older rocks are always found at ridges

• New crust forms at ridges and pushes older crust outward

• Magma flows toward continents only

• The ocean floor is older than the continents

Based on the data if you were to walk 167 km from the ridge center, what would you expect the magnetic polarity of the seafloor to be?

Why is the symmetry of magnetic patterns on both sides of the ridge important?

• It shows random magnetism

• It proves Earth's magnetic field never changes

• It supports that new crust forms equally on both sides of the ridge

• It shows that only one side of the ridge spreads

Fossils of the same species found at similar distances on opposite sides of a mid-ocean ridge suggest that these regions were once ________.

The distribution of fossils on either side of a ridge supports seafloor spreading because:

• Animals swam across the ridge repeatedly

• New crust pushed old crust (and fossils) outward from the ridge

• Fossils are randomly distributed in oceans

• Fossils only form near continents

Claim: What do all three pieces of evidence suggest?

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Evidence: Use at least two specific data sets from above to support your claim.

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Reasoning: Explain how this evidence connects to the process of seafloor spreading. You may also reference your paper model.

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