Completing Diagram of Normal and Reversed Magnetic Polarity of Seafloor Bedrock

Procedure C

Magnetic polarity refers to the direction of the Earth's magnetic field, which can be preserved in rocks as they form. Normal polarity is when the magnetic field is pointing north, while reversed polarity is when the magnetic field is pointing south.

Procedure C involves completing a diagram of the pattern of normal and reversed magnetic polarity of the seafloor bedrock on both the east and west sides of a mid-ocean ridge center.
To complete the diagram, we need to shade in the pattern of normal polarity on the west side of the ridge center. Since the rate of plate movement was assumed to be constant on both sides of the ridge center, the width and placement of each normal polarity section should be the same as on the east side.
Arrows should be drawn on the profile on both sides of the mid-ocean ridge to indicate the direction of sea floor spreading that is occurring. Sea floor spreading is the process by which new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and then moves away from the ridge crest. The arrows should point away from the ridge crest in both directions.
The location of the youngest bedrock should be labeled at the ridge crest, where new crust is forming. The location of the oldest bedrock should be labeled at the edges of the diagram, where the seafloor has moved away from the ridge crest and has had more time to cool and age. Finally, the location of the hottest crustal temperatures should be labeled at the ridge crest, where new crust is forming and is still hot from the mantle.