15 Questions
What technology, introduced during World War I, helped reveal the Mid-Ocean Ridge?
Echo-sounding devices
What common misconception did many scientists in the 1800s have about the ocean floor before the discovery of the Mid-Ocean Ridge?
The ocean floor was flat and featureless.
What key mysteries of planet Earth did the discovery of the Mid-Ocean Ridge help unlock?
Sea floor spreading and polar reversal
What was the main component of the ocean floor that scientists understood by the middle of the 20th century?
Basalt
Which technology used to measure seafloor depths by bouncing sound signals off the ocean floor originated during World War I?
Echo-sounding devices
What technology was NOT well-suited for exploring the tremendous depths of the oceans in the 1800s?
Echo-sounding devices
What new technology during World War I helped scientists measure seafloor depths accurately?
Echo-sounding devices
What is the main reason behind the alternating stripes of rock with different polarities on the ocean floor?
Formation of new oceanic crust through sea floor spreading
Which best describes the process of sea floor spreading?
Diverging tectonic plates forming new oceanic crust
What led scientists to hypothesize a connection between sea floor spreading and polar reversal?
Pattern of alternating magnetic stripes on the ocean floor
Why did scientists conclude that the Earth's magnetic field must have flip-flopped multiple times?
Presence of normal and reversed polarities in alternating stripes
What role do magnetic minerals in basalt play in giving the rock its properties?
Affect its magnetic properties
How does the creation of new oceanic crust occur during sea floor spreading?
By volcanic eruptions from underwater volcanoes
What key observation helped scientists understand the connection between mid-ocean ridges and polar reversals?
'Alternating' magnetic stripes on the ocean floor
Which phenomenon was not a direct result of sea floor spreading?
'Formation' of deep-sea trenches
Explore the challenges faced by scientists in the 1800s when trying to study the ocean floor, before the development of advanced submarines. Learn about the prevailing beliefs about the ocean floor at that time and the limitations faced in understanding its topography.
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