Harry Hess S Theory Of Seafloor Spreading

He identified the presence of mid ocean ridges and that ocean trenches are where ocean floor is destroyed and recycled.

Harry hess s theory of seafloor spreading.

Hess of the united states in a widely circulated manuscript written in 1960 but not formally published for several years. With the discovery of plate tectonics and the mapping of the earth. Harry hess was a profecer of geology at princeton university in the 1960 s and he played a key role in the development of the theory of plate tectonics. The existence of these three types of large striking seafloor features demanded a global rather than local tectonic explanation.

Evidence of sea floor spreading. This evidence was from the investigations of the molten material seafloor drilling radiometric age dating and fossil ages and the magnetic stripes. Harry hess s hypothesis about seafloor spreading had collected several pieces of evidence to support the theory. The first comprehensive attempt at such an explanation was made by harry h.

Harry hess published the history of ocean basins in 1962 outlining a theory of how tectonic plates can move which was later called sea floor spreading. After the war he remained active in the naval reserve reaching the rank of rear admiral. Hess served in world war ii and while he would go from one battle to another he and his crew conducted sonar test to map the seafloor.