Facts about Oceanic Plate Tectonics

1. 06

   Magnetic striping patterns on the seafloor reveal that oceanic plates spread symmetrically from mid-ocean ridges at rates between 2 and 16 centimeters annually.

   Oceanic Plate TectonicsJul 27sharemeasurementgeologymagnetism
2. 05

   Hydrothermal vents, a direct consequence of oceanic plate tectonics, were first discovered in 1977 along the Galápagos Rift spreading center.

   Oceanic Plate TectonicsJun 7sharegeologydiscoveryseafloor
3. 04

   Deep ocean trenches, formed where oceanic plates descend into the mantle during subduction, are the deepest locations on Earth's surface.

   Oceanic Plate TectonicsJun 7sharegeologysubductiongeography
4. 03

   The oldest oceanic crust on Earth is found in the western Pacific and is roughly 180–200 million years old, far younger than continental crust.

   Oceanic Plate TectonicsJun 7sharegeologyoceansage
5. 02

   At mid-ocean ridges, new oceanic crust is continuously formed as magma rises from the mantle and solidifies, a process called seafloor spreading.

   Oceanic Plate TectonicsJun 7sharegeologyseafloortectonics
6. 01

   Oceanic plates are denser than continental plates, causing them to subduct beneath continental crust when the two collide.

   Oceanic Plate TectonicsJun 7sharegeologytectonicsocean