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
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Such a succession of volcanic rocks is typically found in a spreading zone of a mid-ocean ridge, forming today Earth’s oceanic crust. David Bressan, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025 About 80 percent of Earth’s volcanism happens on the seafloor, with the vast majority occurring along the mid-ocean ridge. Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 2 May 2025 For the first time, scientists have witnessed an active seafloor volcanic eruption along a mid-ocean ridge. Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 May 2025 Video This was the first time scientists had witnessed a clearly active eruption along the mid-ocean ridge, a volcanic mountain chain that stretches about 40,000 miles around the globe, like the seams of a baseball. Maya Wei-Haas, New York Times, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for mid-ocean ridge

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Mid-ocean ridge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mid-ocean%20ridge. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

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