EAPS 11600 Lecture 3: EAPS Lecture 3
30 Jan 2019
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Document Summary
Hess"s experience and understanding of oceanic data helped him synthesize the many observations of the ocean floor, that he made during his time in the navy, into a theory. Lacking a driving mechanism to motivate the motion of continents wegener"s hypothesis was viewed by many as incorrect. A mechanism to drive plate motion was required but not yet identified. No known mechanism could be found to move the plates. Wegener died in 1930 (could not push his ideas) Mobilist view (required more data to take hold) New technology leads to evidence for mechanism for motion. Evidence for a mechanism to drive plate tectonics came as data was released post world war 2. The navy"s need to understand the oceans provided a wealth of information to geoscientists. Stretching apart at mid ocean ridge forms new seafloor. Old seafloor is subducted at seafloor trenches. Seafloor-sediment thickness and age vary away from ridge. Higher (more) heat-flow out of the mid-ocean ridges.
