Mid-Ocean Ridges and Hydrothermal Vents

No matter which ocean you explore, you will find long undersea mountain ranges called mid-ocean ridges. These ridges form over convergent tectonic plates — plates that are moving away from one another. This separation causes faulting of the Earth's crust, which results in the creation of a ridge or mountain. The center of the ridge is where new seafloor is forming. As you move away from the ridge, the seafloor gets progressively older, and the sediment layers covering the rock layers becomes thicker.

Map showing the location of the mid-ocean ridges.

Near some ridges, you will find hydrothermal vents where mineral-rich water pushes up from the Earth's crust. Despite the toxic nature of the chemicals pushing through these vents, life is abundant as chemosynthetic primary producers covert chemical energy into food. These bacteria, in turn, provide a source of food for the many plants and animals that live near the vents.

Additional Resources

If you would like more information about mid-ocean ridges, watch Lesson 2 - Mid-Ocean Ridges at NOAA's website.