How does sea floor spreading relate to supercontinents?

The seafloor spreading occurs at the mid-ocean ridges. The reason for this is that the convection currents from the mantle manage to break through the oceanic crust and propel magma on the seafloor. As they do, the magma consolidated in the water and new crust is created. Since there's constant pilling up of new crust, it pushes the old crust away in both sides. This results in the movement of the plates, and as they move eventually they will come into a situation to collide, resulting in the continents to start merging with one another. As the continental masses merge, they will gradually create a supercontinent.

Seafloor spreading is related to the existence of a super continents by the theory of plate tectonic.

Explanation:

Seafloor spreading is a process which takes place due to the divergent motion of plates, as a result of which the size of the ocean basin increases. The plate tectonic movement is responsible for the separation of the seafloor which over the millions of years, will subsequently lead to the formation of a single landmass. The earth initially comprised of a super continent named 'Pangea' which eventually split up, underwent evolution and created the present scenario.

Further explanation:

According to the plate tectonic theory, the earth's crust is comprised of numerous lithospheric plates. These plates constantly move over the less dense asthenosphere layer due to the generation of convection current in the mantle. These currents are initiated because of the heat energy radiated from the interior of the earth.

The asthenosphere is the layer that is present beneath the lithosphere where the rocks tend to flow during deformation.

Seafloor spreading takes place because of this plate motion. It occurs in the divergent plate boundary, thereby resulting in the addition of new materials to the crust along the mid-oceanic ridge. Due to this continuous plate motion, sharing a divergent, convergent and transform the type of boundary, all the landmass that is present on the earth's surface will again combine together forming a large continental landmass, similar to the Pangea that appeared about 350 million years back.

The super continent refers to the large continental landmass that is formed due to the accumulation of materials or sediments or the joining of smaller landmasses due to the motion of the plates.

Learn more:

1. Seafloor spreading and continental drift link (answer by Jamuuj)

2. Pangea theory and plate tectonics link (answer by Taskmasters)

Keywords:

Seafloor spreading, Plate tectonic, Pangea, Asthenosphere, Lithosphere,Convection current, earth's core.

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