The process in which new oceanic crust forms along a mid-ocean ridge and older crust is pushed away is called?

• A. Seafloor Spreading
• B. Convection
• C. Subduction
• D. Pangaea

Answer: (A)

Seafloor spreading is the process by which new oceanic crust forms at mid-ocean ridges as magma rises, cools, and solidifies, pushing older crust away from the ridge on both sides. As tectonic plates pull apart, the erupted basalt fills the gap, creating fresh crust that gradually moves away from the ridge crest. This outward movement of newly formed crust carries older rocks with it, causing the ocean floor to spread apart over time. This mechanism explains why the ocean edges expand while crust is occasionally recycled at subduction zones farther from the ridges. In contrast, convection describes the broader mantle flow that powers plate movements, subduction is the process of crust sinking back into the mantle at trenches, and Pangaea was a past supercontinent, not a process.