Mid Ocean Ridge Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Mid Ocean Ridge?
A mid-ocean ridge is a large, undersea mountain range created by plate tectonics. It runs along the boundaries of two or more tectonic plates and is responsible for the creation of new oceanic crust as molten magma rises up from the Earth’s mantle and cools to form solid rock. The mid-ocean ridge system is the longest mountain range on Earth, stretching over 65,000 kilometers across all five major oceans.Mid-ocean ridges are important in several ways: they are home to a number of unique marine species that thrive in their warm, nutrient-rich waters; they provide evidence for plate tectonics and continental drift; and their geologic activity can cause earthquakes and tsunamis. Additionally, hydrothermal vents found near mid-ocean ridges are essential for understanding the origin of life on Earth due to their high concentrations of chemicals.Mid-ocean ridges form when two or more plates move away from each other in a process known as sea floor spreading. As they diverge, molten magma rises up from deep within Earth’s mantle through fissures in the seafloor that produce volcanic eruptions on either side of the ridge. This creates new oceanic crust which gradually cools and hardens over time before it eventually gets subducted back into Earth’s interior at later stages of sea floor spreading. Mid-ocean ridges play an integral role in helping us understand how our planet evolved over time through its connection with plate tectonics and continental drift theory both key pieces of scientific evidence when it comes to explaining where we came from billions of years ago. These processes also help contribute to global climate change today by adding heat and gases into our atmosphere.