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• sea-floor spreading
  sea-floor spreading

  noun

  a series of processes in which new oceanic lithosphere is created at oceanic ridges, spreads away from the ridges, and returns to the earth's interior along subduction zones
• sea floor spreading
  sea floor spreading

  The process by which new material that lies under the ocean rises and pushes the existing tectonic plates aside, creating new crust as it does so.

sea-floor spreading

British  

/ ˈsiːˌflɔː /

noun

1. Also called: ocean floor spreading.  a series of processes in which new oceanic lithosphere is created at oceanic ridges, spreads away from the ridges, and returns to the earth's interior along subduction zones

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sea-floor spreading Scientific  

1. In the theory of plate tectonics, the process by which new oceanic crust is formed by the convective upwelling of magma at mid-ocean ridges, resulting in the continuous lateral displacement of existing oceanic crust.

2. See more at magnetic reversal

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sea floor spreading Cultural  

1. The process by which new material that lies under the ocean rises and pushes the existing tectonic plates aside, creating new crust as it does so.

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Sea floor spreading is making the Atlantic Ocean wider by a few inches each year.

Example Sentences

Sediment accumulation patterns also confirm the idea of sea-floor spreading.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Continental drift and sea-floor spreading became widely accepted around 1965 as more and more geologists started thinking in these terms.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Hess’s theory formed the basis for our ideas on sea-floor spreading and continental drift, but it did not deal with the concept that the crust is made up of specific plates.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015