Answer
Fred Vine and D. H. Matthews made significant contributions to our understanding of seafloor spreading by linking it to magnetic reversals. They conducted research in the early 1960s to investigate the patterns of magnetic anomalies found in the rocks of the ocean floor.
At that time, scientists had discovered that the Earth's magnetic field has undergone periodic reversals, meaning that the magnetic north and south poles have switched places multiple times throughout Earth's history. These reversals are recorded in rocks as bands of normal and reversed magnetization.
Vine and Matthews noticed that the magnetic anomalies recorded in the rocks of the ocean floor were symmetrical about the mid-ocean ridges, the underwater mountain ranges where new crust is formed through seafloor spreading. They observed that the pattern of magnetic anomalies mirrored each other on either side of the ridges.
They proposed a hypothesis to explain this observation: as new crust is created at the mid-ocean ridges, molten material rises to the surface and solidifies, preserving the magnetic field polarity of that time. Over time, as the Earth's magnetic field flips, the new crust records the reversed polarity, resulting in the symmetrical magnetic anomalies.
Their hypothesis suggested that the seafloor was spreading apart at the mid-ocean ridges, with new crust forming continuously. This concept provided a mechanism for the movement of continents, as the new crust pushed older rocks away from the ridges. It supported the idea of plate tectonics and helped explain how the Earth's surface has changed over time.
Vine and Matthews' work provided compelling evidence for seafloor spreading and its connection to magnetic reversals, further solidifying the theory of plate tectonics and revolutionizing our understanding of Earth's geology.
Work Step by Step
Fred Vine and D. H. Matthews made significant contributions to our understanding of seafloor spreading by linking it to magnetic reversals. They conducted research in the early 1960s to investigate the patterns of magnetic anomalies found in the rocks of the ocean floor.
At that time, scientists had discovered that the Earth's magnetic field has undergone periodic reversals, meaning that the magnetic north and south poles have switched places multiple times throughout Earth's history. These reversals are recorded in rocks as bands of normal and reversed magnetization.
Vine and Matthews noticed that the magnetic anomalies recorded in the rocks of the ocean floor were symmetrical about the mid-ocean ridges, the underwater mountain ranges where new crust is formed through seafloor spreading. They observed that the pattern of magnetic anomalies mirrored each other on either side of the ridges.
They proposed a hypothesis to explain this observation: as new crust is created at the mid-ocean ridges, molten material rises to the surface and solidifies, preserving the magnetic field polarity of that time. Over time, as the Earth's magnetic field flips, the new crust records the reversed polarity, resulting in the symmetrical magnetic anomalies.
Their hypothesis suggested that the seafloor was spreading apart at the mid-ocean ridges, with new crust forming continuously. This concept provided a mechanism for the movement of continents, as the new crust pushed older rocks away from the ridges. It supported the idea of plate tectonics and helped explain how the Earth's surface has changed over time.
Vine and Matthews' work provided compelling evidence for seafloor spreading and its connection to magnetic reversals, further solidifying the theory of plate tectonics and revolutionizing our understanding of Earth's geology.
