Who first proposed the ideas of seafloor spreading and subduction?
History of study The idea that the seafloor itself moves and also carries the continents with it as it spreads from a central rift axis was proposed by Harold Hammond Hess from Princeton University and Robert Dietz of the U.S. Naval Electronics Laboratory in San Diego in the 1960s.
Who is the father of sea floor spreading?
Harry Hammond Hess
| Harry Hammond Hess | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Princeton University |
| Known for | Discovering seafloor spreading |
| Awards | Penrose Medal (1966) |
| Scientific career |
What is the theory of seafloor spreading and who proposed it?
Seafloor spreading is the mechanism by which new seafloor lithosphere is constantly being created at mid-ocean ridges. This theory, introduced by Harry Hess, was proven as patterns of magnetic field polarity preserved in seafloor basalt and by age dating of the rocks.
What did Harry Hess discover?
Harry Hess was a geologist and Navy submarine commander during World War II. Part of his mission had been to study the deepest parts of the ocean floor. In 1946 he had discovered that hundreds of flat-topped mountains, perhaps sunken islands, shape the Pacific floor.
What was Harry Hess theory?
Hess envisaged that oceans grew from their centres, with molten material (basalt) oozing up from the Earth's mantle along the mid ocean ridges. This created new seafloor which then spread away from the ridge in both directions.
What did Dan McKenzie discover?
plate tectonics Dan McKenzie published his first article on plate tectonics, providing a mathematical model for convection in the mantle explaining the movement of the earth's crust, “The viscosity of the lower mantle” (McKenzie, 1966).
What was Arthur Holmes theory?
Holmes primary contribution was his proposed theory that convection occurred within the Earth's mantle, which explained the push and pull of continent plates together and apart. He also assisted scientists in oceanographic research in the 1950s, which publicized the phenomenon known as sea floor spreading.
When was seafloor spreading proposed?
1960 The seafloor spreading hypothesis was proposed by the American geophysicist Harry H. Hess in 1960.
When did Harry Hess discover seafloor spreading?
1960 The seafloor spreading hypothesis was proposed by the American geophysicist Harry H. Hess in 1960.
Who first discovered tectonic plates?
meteorologist Alfred Wegener German meteorologist Alfred Wegener is often credited as the first to develop a theory of plate tectonics, in the form of continental drift.
What is Alfred Wegener theory?
Alfred Wegener in Greenland. Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's land masses are in constant motion. The realization that Earth's land masses move was first proposed by Alfred Wegener, which he called continental drift.
What is Harry Hess known for?
Harry Hess was a geologist and Navy submarine commander during World War II. Part of his mission had been to study the deepest parts of the ocean floor. In 1946 he had discovered that hundreds of flat-topped mountains, perhaps sunken islands, shape the Pacific floor.
What is the concept of seafloor spreading?
Seafloor spreading is a geologic process in which tectonic plates—large slabs of Earth's lithosphere—split apart from each other. Seafloor spreading and other tectonic activity processes are the result of mantle convection. Mantle convection is the slow, churning motion of Earth's mantle.
What did Alfred Wegener discover?
Alfred Lothar Wegener Wegener was a German meteorologist, geophysicist and polar researcher. In 1915 he published 'The Origin of Continents and Oceans', which outlined his theory of Continental Drift.
What did Harry Hammond Hess discover?
His basic idea of seafloor spreading along mid-oceanic ridges has well withstood the test of time. Hess, who served for years as the head of Princeton's Geology Department, died in 1969.
Who is the father of the continental drift theory?
Alfred Wegener Alfred Wegener: The Father of Continental Drift.
What was Hess theory?
Hess envisaged that oceans grew from their centres, with molten material (basalt) oozing up from the Earth's mantle along the mid ocean ridges. This created new seafloor which then spread away from the ridge in both directions.
What was Harry Hess theory called?
He realized that the Earth's crust had been moving away on each side of oceanic ridges, down the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, that were long and volcanically active. He published his theory in History of Ocean Basins (1962), and it came to be called “seafloor spreading.”
What is Alfred Wegener most famous for?
Wegener was a German meteorologist, geophysicist and polar researcher. In 1915 he published 'The Origin of Continents and Oceans', which outlined his theory of Continental Drift.
What was Alfred Wegener known for?
theory of Continental Drift Alfred Lothar Wegener Wegener was a German meteorologist, geophysicist and polar researcher. In 1915 he published 'The Origin of Continents and Oceans', which outlined his theory of Continental Drift. Wegener was a member of four expeditions to Greenland.
What is Alfred Wegener’s theory?
The theory of continental drift is most associated with the scientist Alfred Wegener. In the early 20th century, Wegener published a paper explaining his theory that the continental landmasses were “drifting” across the Earth, sometimes plowing through oceans and into each other.
When did Alfred Wegener propose his theory?
1912 In 1912 Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) noticed the same thing and proposed that the continents were once compressed into a single protocontinent which he called Pangaea (meaning "all lands"), and over time they have drifted apart into their current distribution.
Who first proposed the theory of continental drift?
Alfred Wegener Alfred Wegener in Greenland. Plate tectonics is the theory that Earth's land masses are in constant motion. The realization that Earth's land masses move was first proposed by Alfred Wegener, which he called continental drift.
What is seafloor spreading?
Seafloor spreading is a geologic process in which tectonic plates—large slabs of Earth's lithosphere—split apart from each other. Seafloor spreading is a geologic process in which tectonic plates—large slabs of Earth's lithosphere—split apart from each other.
When did seafloor spreading discovered?
The seafloor spreading hypothesis was proposed by the American geophysicist Harry H. Hess in 1960.
How was seafloor spreading theory developed?
Seafloor spreading was proposed by an American geophysicist, Harry H. Hess in 1960. By the use of the sonar, Hess was able to map the ocean floor and discovered the mid-Atlantic ridge (mid-ocean ridge). He also found out that the temperature near to the mid-Atlantic ridge was warmer than the surface away from it.