mid-ocean ridge

noun

: an elevated region with a central valley on an ocean floor at the boundary between two diverging tectonic plates where new crust forms from upwelling magma

Examples of mid-ocean ridge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The country is one of the only places in the world where the mid-ocean ridge stands above the waves. Maya Wei-Haas, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Feb. 2024 This process continues today with a mid-ocean ridge running down the middle of the ocean, moving the current plates further apart. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024 In 2012, German led an expedition to the Mid-Cayman Rise — the spreading center of an underwater mountain range (or mid-ocean ridge) at the base of the Caribbean Sea, where tectonic plates are moving apart. Steve Nadis, Quanta Magazine, 7 June 2023 Scientists rushed to the rift, hoping to study a process that typically occurs underwater, at the mid-ocean ridge, where volcanic material forms new oceanic crust. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 23 Mar. 2023 Now, Schlindwein is part of an upcoming, multidisciplinary effort to study the Aurora vent field, a slow-spreading mid-ocean ridge dotted with hydrothermal vents and permanently covered in ice. Connor Lynch, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2022 The vents are located nine degrees north of the equator along a mid-ocean ridge called the East Pacific Rise. Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010 Another missing piece in our planet’s volcanic lifestyle is the mid-ocean ridge system. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2019 The Arctic’s Gakkel Ridge vent could change researchers’ understanding of Earth’s slowest-spreading mid-ocean ridge. Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 4 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mid-ocean ridge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mid-ocean ridge was in 1961

Dictionary Entries Near mid-ocean ridge

Cite this Entry

“Mid-ocean ridge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mid-ocean%20ridge. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!