seafloor spreading
41Transform fault — (the red lines) A transform fault or transform boundary, also known as conservative plate boundary since these faults neither create nor destroy lithosphere, is a type of fault whose relative motion is predominantly horizontal in either sinistral …
42History of geology — The history of geology is concerned with the development of the natural science of geology. Geology is the scientific study of the origin, history, and structure of the Earth.[1] Throughout the ages geology provides essential theories and data… …
43Calcite sea — A calcite sea is one in which low magnesium calcite is the primary inorganic marine calcium carbonate precipitate. An aragonite sea is the alternate seawater chemistry in which aragonite and high magnesium calcite are the primary inorganic… …
44volcano — /vol kay noh/, n., pl. volcanoes, volcanos. 1. a vent in the earth s crust through which lava, steam, ashes, etc., are expelled, either continuously or at irregular intervals. 2. a mountain or hill, usually having a cuplike crater at the summit,… …
45Oceanic crust — Age of oceanic crust. The red is most recent, and blue is the oldest. Oceanic crust is the part of Earth s lithosphere that surfaces in the ocean basins. Oceanic crust is primarily composed of mafic rocks, or sima, which is rich in iron and… …
46Arctic Ocean — an ocean N of North America, Asia, and the Arctic Circle. ab. 5,540,000 sq. mi. (14,350,000 sq. km). * * * Arctic Ocean Introduction Arctic Ocean Background: The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world s five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean,… …
47Mid-Atlantic Ridge — /mid at lan tik, mid at lan / a north south suboceanic ridge in the Atlantic Ocean from Iceland to Antarctica on whose crest are several groups of islands; shown by plate tectonics to be the axis along which North America has split away from… …
48Vine–Matthews–Morley hypothesis — The Vine–Matthews–Morley hypothesis, also known as the Morley–Vine–Matthews hypothesis was the first key scientific test of the seafloor spreading theory of continental drift and Plate tectonics. Geophysicist Frederick John Vine and the Canadian… …
49Mediterranean Sea — a sea surrounded by Africa, Europe, and Asia. 2400 mi. (3865 km) long; 1,145,000 sq. mi. (2,965,550 sq. km); greatest known depth 14,436 ft. (4400 m). Also called Mediterranean. * * * Inland sea enclosed by Europe, Africa, and Asia. Its west east …
50Red Sea — an arm of the Indian Ocean, extending NW between Africa and Arabia: connected to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. 1450 mi. (2335 km) long; 170,000 sq. mi. (440,300 sq. km); greatest depth, 7254 ft. (2211 m). * * * Narrow inland sea between… …
