Plate Tectonics and Evidence of Seafloor Spreading Activity

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Nails home EVIDENCE that the seafloor near the mid-Atlantic ridge is newer than the seafloor near the continents.

In this activity, students will:

• Color-code a diagram of the seafloor and mid-Atlantic ridge based on the age of the rock.
• Measure how far each “band” of seafloor is from the ridge.
• Graph the relationship between the age of the seafloor rock and the distance from the mid-Atlantic ridge.
• Answer follow-up questions that help students conclude that the seafloor near the mid-Atlantic ridge is newer than the seafloor near the continents.

NGSS Standards: MS-ESS2-1 and MS-ESS2-2

NGSS Science & Engineering Practice: Developing and using models

NGSS Science & Engineering Practice: Analyzing and interpreting data

NGSS Science & Engineering Practice: Using mathematics and computational thinking

Teacher Notes:

• Every step includes clear, middle school-level directions.
• Includes an answer key.
• Please note: This seafloor spreading activity is NOT editable.
• Check out more resources in the plate tectonics section of our shop!