Why are mid-ocean ridges usually warmer than the surrounding seafloor?
Quick Answer
Mid-ocean ridges are warm because hot mantle material rises there and freshly formed crust has not had time to cool. Heat flow decreases as the seafloor gets older and moves away from the ridge.
The Full Story
Where plates diverge, the mantle rises and undergoes decompression melting, bringing heat close to the surface. Newly formed oceanic crust near the ridge is hot and buoyant, so it stands higher than older, colder crust. As the seafloor moves outward, it cools, contracts, and sinks lower, which is why the ocean basin deepens away from the ridge. This cooling pattern is one of the clearest signatures of plate tectonics.
Key Facts
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"Why the ocean floor rises and falls like a giant slow-motion heat map."
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