Seafloor spreading can stop during the process but if it continues to the point that the continent is completely severed then a new ocean basin is created.
The process of creating a new ocean floor is called.
Plate tectonics and the ocean floor.
The hardened lava forms new ocean floor.
Bathymetry the shape of the ocean floor is largely a result of a process called plate tectonics the outer rocky layer of the earth includes about a dozen large sections called tectonic plates that are arranged like a spherical jig saw puzzle floating on top of the earth s hot flowing mantle.
On the other hand the older ocean floor that is pushed away from the ridge will be pushed down into the trenches of the earth through the process called subduction.
The magnetism of mid ocean ridges helped scientists first identify the process of seafloor spreading in the early 20th century.
The red sea has not yet completely split arabia from africa but a similar feature can be found on the other side of africa that has broken completely free.