Consult the figure below.Marine magnetic anomaly belts are widest when and where ____________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Marine magnetic anomaly belts are created by the alternating patterns of normal and reversed polarity on the sea floor as a result of sea-floor spreading. The wider the belt, the longer the time period since the polarity reversal occurred. Therefore, wider belts indicate relatively rapid sea-floor spreading rates, as the sea floor has had more time to accumulate magnetic anomalies. When continents are joined together to form supercontinents, there is often a decrease in sea-floor spreading rates, resulting in narrower magnetic anomaly belts. Hence, option A is incorrect. Similarly, slow spreading rates lead to the formation of narrower magnetic anomaly belts, so option C is also incorrect.

Consult the Figure Below