And there are two major problems with such an assertion (beyond the lack of a realistic mechanism to make such happen rapidly).
First, the depth of deep ocean sediments increases the further you get away from the spreading centers - if the opening had happened over a year, the depth of such sediments would be fairly constant.
And then there is that pesky paleomagnetism of the oceanic crust - mirroring magnetic reversal over millions of years - a finding that finally confirmed plate tectonics.
But what do I know? I'm just looking at the science, not the fiction.
Great points. I stopped thinking the issue through when I realised that at the speed he was inferring I could have water ski´d merely by planting a stake in the beach, hitching a rope and heading out into the surf - assuming I could survive the resulting vulcanism, steam and general all round apocalypse.