1.) What feature of the ocean floor does the center slit stand for? What prominent feature is missing from the model at this point?
The center slit stands for the passage where the molten material can enter the Mid-Ocean Ridge, formed by the converging of plates. What is currently missing from the model is the mantle and other layers of the Earth.
2.) What do the side slits stand for? What does the space under the paper stand for?
The side slits stand for where subduction has occurred and the ocean floor has sunk in. Also, the space under the paper stands for the oceanic crust of the Earth.
3.) How does the ocean floor as shown by the part of the strip close to the center slit differ from the ocean floor as shown by the part near the side slit? How does this difference affect the depth of the ocean?
Near the center slit, the elevation of the ocean floor is much higher than the elevation near the side slit. This difference affects the depth of the ocean because where the elevation and pressure is higher, the water depth will be higher as well. At some points, the water would be deeper than other spots.
4.) What do the stripes on the strips stand for? Why is it important that your model have an identical pattern of stripes on both sides of the center slit?
The stripes on the strip stand for the magnetic stripes found on rock of the ocean floor. It is important for the stripes to be identical on each side because in real rocks of the ocean floor, the stripes that are parallel showing when the magnetic poles of the Earth were north and south.
5.) Explain how difference in density and temperature provide some of the force needed to cause sea-floor spreading and subduction.
Density due to the water can push the ocean crust can push it downward towards the mantle, and this force from subduction can cause the sea-floor spreading and the creation of new oceanic crust to occur.
6.) Think About It Use your own words to describe the process of ocean-floor spreading. What parts of the process were not shown by your model?
Ocean-floor spreading is a process in which plates cause the sea floor to spread or move apart and new oceanic crust is continually formed in the process. The part of the process that is not shown is the molten material seeping into the Mid-Ocean Ridge, and process of subduction is not shown as well.





More to Explore
Imagine that so much molten rock erupted from the mid-ocean ridge that an island formed there. How could you modify your model to show this island? How could you show what would happen to it over a long period of time?
To show an island formed by molten rock, an extension from the part of the strip below the yellow part could be made. To show how it would happen over a long period of time, a tab to pull as in the tab used on the side slits could be put on the bottom.