Imagine that you are studying seafloor spreading along two different oceanic ridges. Using data from a magnetometer, you produced the two accompanying maps. From these maps, what can you determine about the relative rates of seafloor spreading along these two ridges? Explain.

Sea floor spreading occurs at divergent plate boundaries where the seafloor is being pulled apart by convection currents in the mantle. As the plate pull apart magma up wells and new crust is being formed. This process on the sea floor creates a habitat for exotic sea creatures such as tube worms. The food chain in this region of the planet starts with bacteria that metabolizes sulfur coming from hydro-thermal vents along the spreading ridge.