Magnetic Ocean Floor Patterns

Magnetic stripes and isotopic clocks oceanographic exploration in the 1950s led to a much better understanding of the ocean floor.

Magnetic ocean floor patterns.

Among the new findings was the discovery of zebra stripe like magnetic patterns for the rocks of the ocean floor. The magnetic variation in successive bands of ocean floor parallel with mid ocean ridges is important evidence supporting the theory of. When the earth s magnetic field reverses a new stripe with the new polarity begins. This creates a symmetrical pattern of magnetic stripes of opposite polarity on either side of mid ocean ridges.

The earth s magnetic field has flipped the n pole becoming the s pole and vice versa many times over geological time. In geophysics a magnetic anomaly is a local variation in the earth s magnetic field resulting from variations in the chemistry or magnetism of the rocks. The figure below includes two images of the ocean floor. Ocean floor pattern plotting learning objectives.

As tectonic plates move apart new rock is formed and locks in the direction of the magnetic field at the time timing. These patterns were unlike any seen for continental rocks. Mapping of variation over an area is valuable in detecting structures obscured by overlying material. These patterns of stripes provide the history of seafloor spreading.

At the mid ocean ridge spreading axis these flips in the direction of the earth s magnetic field are recorded in the magnetization of the lava.