The massive mid-ocean ridge system is a
continuous range of underwater volcanoes
that wraps around the globe like seams on a baseball, stretching nearly 65,000 kilometers (40,390 miles). … As the plates separate, molten rock rises to the seafloor, producing enormous volcanic eruptions of basalt.
Where mid-ocean ridge is found?
The greatest area of mid-ocean ridges occurs in
the South Pacific Ocean
where this feature type covers an area of 1,868,490 km
2
. The mid-ocean ridges are the Earth’s largest volcanic system, accounting for more than 75% of all volcanic activity on the planet.
What features can be found at a mid-ocean ridge?
A mid-ocean ridge (MOR) is a seafloor mountain system formed by plate tectonics. It typically has a depth of ~ 2,600 meters (8,500 ft) and rises about two kilometers above the deepest portion of an ocean basin. This feature is where
seafloor spreading takes place along a divergent plate boundary
.
What is a mid-ocean ridge made up of?
The material that erupts at spreading centers along the mid-ocean ridge is primarily
basalt
, the most common rock on Earth. Because this spreading occurs on a sphere, the rate separation along the mid-ocean ridge varies around the globe.
What is a mid-ocean ridge quizlet?
mid-ocean ridge.
an undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced at a divergent plate boundary
.
Which two tectonic plates are separated by a mid-ocean ridge?
Seafloor spreading occurs along mid-ocean ridges—large mountain ranges rising from the ocean floor. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, for instance, separates
the North American plate from the Eurasian plate, and the South American plate from the African plate
.
Which mid-ocean ridge is spreading the slowest?
The Ridge
is named after him, and the name was recognized in April 1987 by SCUFN (under that body’s old name, the Sub-Committee on Geographical Names and Nomenclature of Ocean Bottom Features). The ridge is the slowest known spreading ridge on earth, with a rate of less than one centimeter per year.
What is an example of a mid-ocean ridge?
Mid-ocean ridges form where two tectonic plates are pulling apart, also called seafloor spreading. … The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is spreading one to two inches a year, along
with the East Pacific Rise, which is spreading two to six inches a
year, are two examples of very long mid-ocean ridges.
Are there volcanoes at mid-ocean ridges?
Mid-ocean ridges. The global mid-ocean ridge system is the largest single volcanic feature on the Earth, encircling it like the seams of a baseball. … The mid-ocean ridge consists
of thousands of individual volcanoes or volcanic ridge segments
which periodically erupt.
Are mid-ocean ridges found in all oceans?
The mid-ocean ridges of the world are connected and form a single global mid-oceanic ridge system that
is part of every ocean
, making the mid-oceanic ridge system the longest mountain range in the world, with a total length of about 60,000 km.
What is a mid-ocean ridge simple definition?
The mid-ocean ridge is
the most extensive chain of mountains on Earth
, stretching nearly 65,000 kilometers (40,390 miles) and with more than 90 percent of the mountain range lying in the deep ocean. … The ridge system forms the longest and largest mountain range on Earth, winding its way between the continents.
Is a mid-ocean ridge a convergent boundary?
The mid-ocean ridge system is an example of
a divergent
(rather than a convergent or transform) plate boundary. The mid-ocean ridge system has been understood only since the development and acceptance of plate tectonic theory in the 1960s.
Why are mid ocean ridges important?
Mid-ocean ridges are geologically important
because they occur along the kind of plate boundary where new ocean floor is created as the plates spread apart
. Thus the mid-ocean ridge is also known as a “spreading center” or a “divergent plate boundary.” The plates spread apart at rates of 1 cm to 20 cm per year.
What is responsible for mid ocean ridges quizlet?
A mid-ocean ridge or mid-oceanic ridge is an underwater mountain range, formed by plate tectonics. This uplifting of the ocean floor occurs when
convection currents rise in the mantle beneath the oceanic crust and create magma
where two tectonic plates meet at a divergent boundary.
Where do mid ocean ridges form quizlet?
How do mid-ocean ridges form?
Underneath the ocean, deep in the earth
convection currents bring molten material up to the upper mantle. This material rises through faults (cracks) between oceanic plates that are moving away from one another.
How does the new seafloor form at the mid-ocean ridge quizlet?
How does new seafloor form at mid-ocean ridges?
As the seafloor spread apart at magma is forced upward and flows from new seafloor
. As new seafloor moves away from the mid-ocean ridges, it cools, contracts, and becomes denser. This denser, colder seafloor sinks, helping to form the ridges.
