Magnetic Anomaly Stripes On Ocean Floors

Magnetic striping magnetic minerals are found in rocks.

Magnetic anomaly stripes on ocean floors.

The magnetic variation in successive bands of ocean floor parallel with mid ocean ridges is important evidence supporting the theory of. Marine magnetic anomalies typically represent 1 percent of the total geomagnetic field strength. Heirtzler magnetic anomalies in the indian ocean and sea floor spreading journal of geophysical research 10 1029 jb073i006p02101 73 6 2101 2117 2012. Xavier le pichon james r.

When magma flows out of a mid ocean ridge small magnetic minerals in the magma align themselves to point in the direction of the earth s current magnetic north. Among the new findings was the discovery of zebra stripe like magnetic patterns for the rocks of the ocean floor. Mapping of variation over an area is valuable in detecting structures obscured by overlying material. A marine magnetic anomaly is a variation in strength of earth s magnetic field caused by magnetism in rocks of the ocean floor.

These two things were the magnetic striping on the ocean floor and the age of seafloor rocks. 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. Magnetic stripes and isotopic clocks oceanographic exploration in the 1950s led to a much better understanding of the ocean floor. Magnetic striping of the sea floor after mid ocean ridges and trenches were discovered more evidence was discovered that helped to support the theory that the continents had moved around.

Plate tectonics and reversals of the earth s magnetic field are responsible for the magnetic stripes found on the ocean floor.