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
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.
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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
The North American and Eurasian plates are pulling away from each other at a rate of one to two inches per year, gradually unzipping the floor of the Atlantic Ocean to form a mid-ocean ridge.
—Sasha Warren, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2022
As the mid-ocean ridge spreads, Reykjanes cycles through quiet periods, typically lasting 800 to 1,000 years, followed by two or three centuries of spectacular eruptions, which scientists studying Iceland suspect could be starting now.
—Sasha Warren, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2022
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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
The North American and Eurasian plates are pulling away from each other at a rate of one to two inches per year, gradually unzipping the floor of the Atlantic Ocean to form a mid-ocean ridge.
—Sasha Warren, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2022
As the mid-ocean ridge spreads, Reykjanes cycles through quiet periods, typically lasting 800 to 1,000 years, followed by two or three centuries of spectacular eruptions, which scientists studying Iceland suspect could be starting now.
—Sasha Warren, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2022
See More
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
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 11 Dec. 2023.
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