What are mid-ocean ridges and why are they important?
The longest mountain range on Earth isn't on any continent; it snakes 65,000 kilometers along the ocean floor.
The answer
Mid-ocean ridges are underwater mountain chains formed where tectonic plates pull apart and magma rises to create new oceanic crust, a process called seafloor spreading. The global mid-ocean ridge system extends approximately 65,000 kilometers, making it by far the longest mountain range on Earth. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs almost the entire length of the Atlantic Ocean and is spreading at about 2.5 centimeters per year. These ridges are geologically crucial because they are the sites where new Earth surface is continuously generated, driving the movement of continents.
Source: NOAA Ocean Exploration
- mid-ocean ridges
- plate tectonics
- seafloor spreading
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