How does the age of seafloor sediments change with increasing distance from the ocean ridge?
1 Answer
Nov 1, 2016
The further from the Ocean Ridge, the older the sediments are.
Explanation:
The Ocean Ridge is where new crust is formed. There would be no sediments at the time the new crust reaches the surface.
The new crust is pushed away from the Ocean Ridge in both directions as newer crust is formed. This is called sea floor spreading.
The crust that makes up the sea floor starts to have time to accumulate a layer of sediments as it gets older and moves away from the Ocean Ridge.
Where an Oceanic Plate meets a continental plate the seafloor sediments are pushed under the continental plate and are melted and destroyed.
Oddly what are thought to be the oldest ocean sediments are not found on the seafloor but on the Continental plates.
