▁of ▁other ▁ocean ▁bas ins . ▁ ▁Imp act ▁of ▁discovery : ▁se af loor ▁spread ing ▁Alfred ▁Weg ener ▁proposed ▁the ▁theory ▁of ▁contin ental ▁dr ift ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 2 . ▁He ▁stated : ▁" the ▁Mid - At l antic ▁R idge ▁... ▁zone ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁floor ▁of ▁the ▁Atlantic , ▁as ▁it ▁keeps ▁spread ing , ▁is ▁continu ously ▁te aring ▁open ▁and ▁making ▁space ▁for ▁fresh , ▁relatively ▁fluid ▁and ▁hot ▁sim a ▁[ ris ing ] ▁from ▁depth ". ▁However , ▁Weg ener ▁did ▁not ▁purs ue ▁this ▁observation ▁in ▁his ▁later ▁works ▁and ▁his ▁theory ▁was ▁dismiss ed ▁by ▁ge olog ists ▁because ▁there ▁was ▁no ▁mechanism ▁to ▁explain ▁how ▁contin ents ▁could ▁p low ▁through ▁ocean ▁cr ust , ▁and ▁the ▁theory ▁became ▁largely ▁forgotten . ▁ ▁Following ▁the ▁discovery ▁of ▁the ▁world wide ▁extent ▁of ▁the ▁mid - o cean ▁r idge ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 0 s , ▁ge olog ists ▁faced ▁a ▁new ▁task : ▁explaining ▁how ▁such ▁an ▁enorm ous ▁ge ological ▁structure ▁could ▁have ▁formed . ▁In ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁ge olog ists ▁discovered ▁and ▁began ▁to ▁propose ▁mechan isms ▁for ▁se af loor ▁spread ing . ▁The ▁discovery ▁of ▁mid - o cean ▁rid ges ▁and ▁the ▁process ▁of ▁se af loor ▁spread ing ▁allowed ▁for ▁Weg ner ' s ▁theory ▁to ▁be ▁expanded ▁so ▁that ▁it ▁included ▁the ▁movement ▁of ▁ocean ic ▁cr ust ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the