The Oceans - Chapter 1: Mid-ocean Ridges

Question 1

The sites of sea floor spreading which we know about through soundings taken of the ocean floor, core samples, and visual inspection

Answer 1

Mid-ocean ridges

Question 2

Mid-ocean ridges represent more than ___ percent of the earth’s surface

Answer 2

20

Question 3

Ocean ridge systems are characterized by these 3 things

Answer 3

Elevated position
Extensive faulting
Numerous volcano structures that have developed

Question 4

How are the mid-ocean ridges different from the mountains on continents?

Answer 4

• They are not thick sequences of folded and faulted sedimentary
• They consist of basaltic rocks that have been faulted/uplifted
• They are not technically RIDGES (narrow) cause they can take almost half of the ocean floor area

Question 5

What do we call the belt twhere geologic activity occurs on the ridges?

Answer 5

Rift zone

Question 6

The site where magma from the asthenosphere moves upward to create new slivers of oceanic crust

Answer 6

Rift zone

Question 7

During sea floor spreading, new material is ___ about equally to the two diverging plates

Answer 7

equal

Question 8

What is the reason for the elevated position of the ridge system?

Answer 8

Newly created oceanic crust is hot and occupies more volume than cooler rocks in deep ocean basin

Question 9

How long does it take for rock that was part of a majestic oceanic mountain system to cool and contract and be located in the deep ocean basin covered by sediment

Answer 9

100 million years

Question 10

This is a gigantic submerged mountain range standing 2500-3000 meters above the floor of the deep ocean basins and CAN but does not always extend above sea level

Answer 10

Mid Atlantic Ridge