Scientists witness seafloor spreading in real time for the first time

For the first time, scientists have directly witnessed seafloor spreading in real time, according to a new study. Over the course of a few days in 2024, part of the Indian Ocean floor dropped by roughly 13 feet (about 4 metres) while approximately 5.7 billion cubic feet of molten rock surged up to the Earth's crust. The observation provides an unprecedented look at the geological process that drives plate tectonics.

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