Question: On Different Mid-ocean Ridges Spread At Different Rates. With Increasing Age, The Oceanic Plates Progressively Cool, Get Denser And Sit Lower In The Mantle (think About A Fully Loaded Cargo Ship Versus An Empty Cargo Ship). This Results In A Systematic, Predictable Relationship Between Plate Age And Ocean Depth The Diagram Below Shows The Relationship …

on Different mid-ocean ridges spread at different rates. With increasing age, the oceanic plates progressively cool, get denser and sit lower in the mantle (think about a fully loaded cargo ship versus an empty cargo ship). This results in a systematic, predictable relationship between plate age and ocean depth The diagram below shows the relationship between ocean depth and distance from the mid-ocean spreading ridge for two different oceans; the Atlantic (blue) and the Pacific (red). Distance from ridge (km) 0 -50 50 -2000 1 -2500 -2500 Pacific 10 Ma -3000 phan -3000 3500 ZOOM ON AXIAL REGION 3500 4000 Depth (m) mfumor hammam -4000 Atlantic 10 Ma -4500 -5000 -5500 with -6000 1 1 0 200 400 1400 600 800 1000 1200 Distance from ridge (km) 1600 1800 E. What is the spreading rate for each ridge: Pacific seafloor spreading rate is km/Ma Answer Atlantic seafloor spreading rate is km/Ma Answer: E Which ridge has a faster spreading rate? Select one a Pacific b. Atlantic G. Assuming a constant spreading rate equal to your previously calculated rate, estimate the depth of 20 million-year-old seafloor in each of these oceans (hint: calculate the distance from the ridge 20 Ma crust would be, then find the depth on the graph) The depth of Pacific seafloor aged 20 Ma is m Answer: