Palaeomagnetism at the MOR

When investigating deep sea environments there are many subjects that are yet to be discovered and as such, creating an enthusiasm for this area of study for students is vital in creating the next generation of explorers and researchers within Earth Sciences. The sea floor plays a prominent role within the curricula of Geology, from discovering marine environments and the formation of sedimentary rocks, the tectonic activities leading to seafloor spreading which in turn contribute to slab and pull and tectonic plate theories, as well as the creation of new rock beds through igneous processes, to name a few.  

The seabed creates a story of past eras of Earth’s vast history to be interpreted, one of which includes the reversal of the poles. The poster accompanying this abstract provides a hands-on method of demonstrating to students the stripes which appear on the sea floor at the Mid Ocean Ridge and allows students to understand the physical processes which occur for this phenomenon to happen.  

Further activities can then follow on from this, allowing students to explore the data and calculate average rate of sea floor spreading for a particular set of data, link to what is happening at the Mid Atlantic Ridge and how this will shape the world in the future.