Question

Question 5(Multiple Choice Worth 3 points) (02.01 MC) Wegener's theory of continental drift was formulated at a time when evidence for it was lacking. What new evidence was Harry Hess able to add in support of this theory? African and South American coastlines are similar, providing evidence of their common origin. Seafloor spreading at the mid-ocean ridge provides the mechanism for tectonic plate movement. The Earth’s mantle moves through convection, showing that tectonic plates are able to glide. The location of the plates was determined by locating their boundaries, using data on the Earth's magnetic field.

Answer 1

The correct answer is - Seafloor spreading at the mid-ocean ridge provides the mechanism for tectonic plate movement.

Harry Hess is one of the people that is most important when it comes to the proving and world wide acceptance of the continental drift theory.

Hess was very interested in the topic, and he was constantly looking for clues that would bring light to it and finally have a definite proof of it. While sailing through the Atlantic and doing some examinations, Hess noticed that there high mountains in the water, having flat peaks, and being arranged in an interesting manner. These underwater mountains, named guyouts, were the highest at a certain point, and than on both sides, as the distance was increasing they were becoming smaller and smaller.

What Hess stumbled upon was the seafloor spreading and how it works, and he recognized that quickly. He immediately went on to share what he discovered, that there's magma coming from bellow, solidifying and spreading, thus creating new crust while pushing the old crust away from the center, which is the reason why the continents are moving.