* Harry Hess: An American geologist who first proposed the idea in the early 1960s, based on his observations of the ocean floor during World War II.
* Robert Dietz: An American geologist who independently proposed a similar theory around the same time.
While Hess's work was initially unpublished, it was circulated amongst the scientific community and helped shape the development of the theory. Dietz's work was published in 1961, providing further support for the concept of seafloor spreading.
