14 Questions
What did Alfred Wegener name the connected supercontinent in his theory of continental drift?
Pangea
What evidence of plate tectonics was not confirmed and widely accepted until decades after Alfred Wegener's death?
Paleomagnetism
What creates new crust at mid-ocean ridges?
Molten basalt rising at the ridge
What are hot spots on the Earth's surface associated with?
Mantle plumes
What causes the creation of a chain of volcanoes on the Earth's surface as the plate moves away from a hot spot?
$Magma$ from a stationary mantle plume
What do symmetric bands on each side of a mid-ocean ridge indicate?
Creation at the same time and location
What data do scientists use to develop the idea of seafloor spreading?
Magnetic data collected across ridges
What did scientists initially believe when studying remnant magnetism in rocks from the same area with different ages?
The magnetic pole had moved from its current position
What is paleomagnetism?
The record of the strength and direction of the Earth's magnetic field in rocks
What causes some rocks to be more susceptible to paleomagnetic signals?
Higher quantities of magnetite and high formation temperatures
What does remnant magnetism refer to?
The signal that remains in rocks after their formation
How has paleomagnetic data been used to understand Earth's history?
To decipher changes in Earth's magnetic field polarity and plate tectonics
What is plate tectonics theory?
The theory that the surface of the Earth is covered by several large rigid plates made of crustal and upper mantle material
How are the magnetic north and south poles related to geographic North and South poles?
They are currently located near their geographic counterparts but have not always been so
Learn about the record of the Earth's magnetic field in rocks, and how paleomagnetism is used to study the Earth's past. Discover how the Earth's magnetic field has changed over time and its significance in geological research.
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