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The massive mid-ocean ridge system is a continuous range of underwater volcanoes that wraps around the globe like seams on a baseball, stretching nearly 65,000 kilometers (40,390 miles). The majority of the system is underwater, with an average water depth to the top of the ridge of 2,500 meters (8,200 feet).
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. The speed of spreading affects the shape of a ridge – slower spreading rates result in steep, irregular topography while faster spreading rates produce much wider profiles and more gentle slopes.
Two well-studied mid-ocean ridges within the global system are the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the East Pacific Rise. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs down the center of the Atlantic Ocean, slowly spreading at a rate of 2 to 5 centimeters (0.8 to 2 inches) per year and forming a rift valley that is about the depth and width of the Grand Canyon. In contrast, the East Pacific Rise spreads fast, at rates of 6 to 16 centimeters (3 to 6 inches) per year. Due to the fast spreading rates, there is no rift valley in the Pacific, just a smooth volcanic summit with a crack along the crest that is much smaller than the Atlantic rift valley.
Despite being such prominent feature on our planet, much of the mid-ocean ridge system remains a mystery. While we have mapped about half of the global mid-ocean ridge in high resolution, less than one percent of the mid-ocean ridge has been explored in detail using submersibles or remotely operated vehicles.
By funding expeditions to spreading centers in the Atlantic and the Pacific, the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research is helping scientists to draw connections between volcanic, tectonic, hydrothermal, and biological systems in order to better understand the Earth’s remarkable, evolving geography.
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