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Sea Floor Spreading
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Geomagnetic Reversal | A change in Earth's magnetic field such that the positions of north and magnetic south are interchanged. |
| Normal Polarity | Magnetic field the same as that which presently exists. |
| Reverse Polarity | Magnetic field opposite to that which presently exists. |
| Hot Spot Volcanoes | The interpolate volcanism that produced the Hawaiian Islands is one example. |
| Ridge Push | Mechanism that may contribute to plate motion. It involves the oceanic lithosphere sliding down the oceanic ridge under the pull of gravity. |
| Slab Pull | Mechanism that contributes to plate motion in which cool, dense oceanic crust sinks into the mantle and "pulls" the trailing lithosphere along. |
| Slab Suction | The process of thrusting oceanic lithosphere plate descends beneath another. |
| Mantle Drag | The force generated at the base of the lithosphere by the movement if the underlying lithosphere. |
| Plate Resistance | The plates resist. |