Question

Which of the following statements about seafloor spreading is false?

A. Continents move as the seafloor spreads along a mid-ocean ridge.
B. The oldest crust is closest to the mid-ocean ridge.
C. Magma rises through the mid-ocean ridge, forming basalt.

Answer 1

B. The oldest crust is closest to the mid-ocean ridge.

Answer 2

Answer;

B. The oldest crust is closest to the mid-ocean ridge.

Explanation;

• Seafloor spreading refers to the process by which new oceanic crust forms along a mid-ocean ridge and older oceanic crust moves away from the ridge.
• Seafloor spreading occurs at the mid-oceanic ridge where the divergent boundaries cause two plates to move away from each other resulting to the spreading of the sea floor.
• As the divergent plates move apart, new materials wells up and then cools at the edge of the plates. Seafloor spreading is important as it helps explain the continental drift in support of the theory of plate tectonics.