mid-ocean ridge (redirected from Mid-ocean ridges)

mid-o·cean ridge  (mdshn)

n.

A series of mountain ranges on the ocean floor, more than 84,000 kilometers (52,000 miles) in length, extending through the North and South Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific. According to the plate tectonics theory, volcanic rock is added to the sea floor as the mid-ocean ridge spreads apart.

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mid-ocean ridge  (mdshn)

A long mountain range on the ocean floor, extending almost continuously through the North and South Atlantic Oceans, the Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific Ocean. A deep rift valley is located at its center, from which magma flows and forms new oceanic crust. As the magma cools and hardens it becomes part of the mountain range. The mid-ocean ridge is approximately 1,500 km (930 mi) wide, 1 to 3 km (0.62 to 1.86 mi) high, and over 84,000 km (52, 080 mi) long. See more at sea-floor spreading.