49,570 views
3 votes
3 votes
Divergent plate boundaries can form chains of underwater mountains, called mid-ocean ridges. Explain how the formation of these ridges occurs.

Your answer should include at least two complete sentences.
Be sure to check your grammar and spelling.

User Clem Wang
by
2.7k points

2 Answers

22 votes
22 votes
A mid-ocean ridge or mid-oceanic ridge is an underwater mountain range, formed by plate tectonics. This uplifting of the ocean floor occurs when convection currents rise in the mantle beneath the oceanic crust and create magma where two tectonic plates meet at a divergent boundary.
User Grant Cermak
by
2.5k points
19 votes
19 votes
!

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.


ℎ ℎ ❣︎
User ItsMeInMiami
by
2.9k points