Mid-ocean ridges represent one of the most important geologic processes shaping the Earth: Over the last 200 million years, two-thirds of the Earth has been resurfaced through this process of seafloor spreading, either at conventional mid-ocean ridge spreading centers or at spreading centers in back-arc basins behind ...
What is the role of the mid-ocean ridge?
Mid-ocean ridges occur along divergent plate boundaries , where new ocean floor is created as the Earth’s tectonic plates spread apart. As the plates separate, molten rock rises to the seafloor, producing enormous volcanic eruptions of basalt.
What is the function of the mid-oceanic ridge quizlet?
Mid-ocean ridges are spreading centers, they are divergent plate boundaries where magma wells up from below, creating new oceanic crust . Ocean trenches form where crustal plates plunge back into the mantle. Thus, these long, narrow depressions are associated with convergent plate boundaries.
Which is the best description of 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 the role of the mid-ocean ridge in seafloor spreading process?
Mid-ocean ridges and seafloor spreading can also influence sea levels . As oceanic crust moves away from the shallow mid-ocean ridges, it cools and sinks as it becomes more dense. ... Seafloor spreading proves that the ocean itself is a site of tectonic activity.
What is a mid-ocean ridge simple definition?
: an elevated region with a central valley on an ocean floor at the boundary between two diverging tectonic plates where new crust forms from upwelling magma .
What is an example of 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.
Which is characteristic of mid oceanic ridges quizlet?
Mid-ocean ridges are broad, symmetrical ridges that cross — basins . Core= Believed to consist of metallic iron and nickel. With respect to thickness, the oceanic crust is — than the continental crust. Oceanic plates subduct beneath continental plates when the two plates converge because ____________.
What happens at an oceanic ridge 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 .
What is a Mid Oceanic Ridge quizlet?
mid-ocean ridge. an undersea mountain chain where new ocean floor is produced at a divergent plate boundary .
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 the role of the mid-ocean ridge in lithospheric plates?
The mid-ocean ridge represents an area where, in accordance with plate tectonic theory , lithospheric plates (also called tectonic plates) move apart and new crust is created by magma (molten rock) pushing up from the mantle . ...
Where is mid-ocean ridge located?
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, submarine ridge lying along the north-south axis of the Atlantic Ocean ; it occupies the central part of the basin between a series of flat abyssal plains that continue to the margins of the continental coasts.
What are the evidence of seafloor spreading?
The theory of seafloor spreading states that new ocean crust is continually being formed, and that this crust is slowly carried away from its point of origin over a period of time. The study of the repeated reversal of the Earth’s magnetic poles over time has provided convincing evidence of seafloor spreading.
What is the importance of seafloor spreading?
Significance. Seafloor spreading helps explain continental drift in the theory of plate tectonics . When oceanic plates diverge, tensional stress causes fractures to occur in the lithosphere.
What are 3 types of evidence for seafloor spreading?
Several types of evidence from the oceans supported Hess’s theory of sea-floor spreading- evidence from molten material, magnetic stripes, and drilling samples .
