Science Continental Shift Post

Reflection Questions - How Old is the Ocean Floor?

• Where are the oldest parts of the oceans?

The oldest parts of the ocean are located beside the continents. This is because in the middle of the mid ocean ridges, there are active volcanoes. These volcanoes erupt on the floor of the ocean. When the magma touches the cold ocean water, it cools creating new rock. So, the rock which was in that place before gets pushed outwards, towards the continents. So therefore, the oldest rocks are located beside the continents.

• Do the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic ocean basins have the same age and patterns?

Yes, they do share the same age pattern since the oldest rocks are located beside the continents. As you move outward, towards the middle of the ocean, the rocks become younger.

• How does the age of the ocean floor compare with the age of rocks on the continents?

The continents are older than the ocean floor because some of the ocean floor gets recycled by a process called subduction. In this process, the seafloor gets recycled by sliding under the continents, and into the mantle. Therefore, new ocean floor can be formed, however on the Earth, old rock can remain for a very long time.

• These questions were the same as the questions in your pre-test. Reflect on what answers, if any, you changed after completing these activities. What did you learn from these activities with GeoMapApp? Did you need a lot of help from friends or your parents or teacher? What do you think helps you learn new material in science class?

I think that after this activity, I understood and learned more about the ocean floor. Most of my answers changed because I initially did not know where the youngest or oldest part of the ocean was located. After looking at the maps and comprehending what they meant, I was able to answer the questions accurately. I think looking at these maps on Geomap App visually helps me learn more because I get a visual idea of what is going on. I like that we have to comprehend what we see and the questions help everything flow together making it easier to learn the new information. I did not require much help from my teachers, but I did need to clarify a few questions to make sure that I was going on the right track.

This is a picture of a few mid ocean ridges:

This is a picture of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: