In 1962, who published 'The History of Ocean Basins', which outlined the theory of how tectonic plates could move, later called 'sea floor spreading'?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 3 i.e. Harry Hammond Hess.
In 1962, Harry Hammond Hess, a geologist and U.S. Navy officer, published "History of Ocean Basins." This seminal work outlined his revolutionary theory of **sea floor spreading**. Building on earlier ideas of continental drift, Hess proposed that new oceanic crust is continuously generated at mid-ocean ridges, then moves laterally away from them, and is eventually consumed in deep ocean trenches. This provided the long-sought mechanism for how continents could move, laying a crucial foundation for the broader theory of **plate tectonics**. His "geopoetry," as he initially called it, transformed our understanding of Earth's dynamic processes.