What term describes the stripes found on both sides of a mid-ocean ridge?

The correct choice is magnetic anomalies. These stripes are formed by the process of seafloor spreading at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is created as magma rises and solidifies. As magma emerges, it cools and records the Earth's magnetic field in the minerals present in the rock. Over time, the Earth's magnetic field has reversed many times, meaning the orientation of magnetic minerals has alternated between normal and reversed polarity. This creates distinct magnetic stripes on either side of the mid-ocean ridge that mirror each other in pattern and orientation, illustrating the history of seafloor spreading.

The presence of these magnetic anomalies provides significant evidence for plate tectonics and helps scientists understand the age and formation of the ocean floor. Other choices do not describe this phenomenon appropriately: geological faults refer to fractures or zones of weakness in tectonic plates, subduction zones are places where one plate moves under another, and divergent boundaries describe the areas where plates move apart but do not specifically refer to the magnetic stripes themselves.