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The crystallized magma forms a new crust of basalt known as MORB for mid-ocean ridge basalt, and gabbro below it in the lower oceanic crust. [16] Mid-ocean ridge basalt is a tholeiitic basalt and is low in incompatible elements. [17] [18] Hydrothermal vents fueled by magmatic and volcanic heat are a common feature at oceanic spreading centers.
At nearly 60,000 km long, the mid-ocean ridge is an extensive chain of underwater volcanic mountains that spans the globe. [30] Centralized in the oceans, this unique geological formation houses a collection of ridges , rifts, fault zones , and other geological features.
If originated from current tectonic forces, they are often referred to as a mid-ocean ridge. In contrast, if formed by past above-water volcanism , they are known as a seamount chain . The largest and best known undersea mountain range is a mid-ocean ridge, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge . [ 1 ]
Mid-ocean ridge – Basaltic underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading; Pit crater – Depression formed by a sinking or collapse of the surface lying above a void or empty chamber; Pyroclastic shield – Shield volcano formed mostly of pyroclastic and highly explosive eruptions; Resurgent dome – Volcanic landform
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge (a divergent or constructive plate boundary) located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. In the North Atlantic, the ridge separates the North American from the Eurasian plate and the African plate , north and south of the Azores triple junction .
This process is significant in thermohaline circulation, contributing to the global ocean's deep water mass formation. [1] Overflows influence global climate by transporting heat and salt, impacting sea levels, and affecting marine ecosystems. Overflows are driven by differences in water density, usually due to variations in temperature and ...
The mid-ocean ridge, as its name implies, is a mountainous rise through the middle of all the oceans, between the continents. Typically a rift runs along the edge of this ridge. Along tectonic plate edges there are typically oceanic trenches – deep valleys, created by the mantle circulation movement from the mid-ocean mountain ridge to the ...
The volcanoes at mid-ocean ridges alone are estimated to account for 75% of the magma output on Earth. [1] Although most submarine volcanoes are located in the depths of seas and oceans , some also exist in shallow water, and these can discharge material into the atmosphere during an eruption .