The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a 6,200-mile underwater mountain range caused by seafloor spreading and volcanic activity. It was discovered in 1872 and divides the Atlantic seabed into two basins. Some peaks rise above water to form islands, including Iceland and the Azores.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a huge underwater mountain range that runs from just 207 miles (333 km) south of the North Pole to Bouvet Island, located in the Atlantic Ocean at a longitude just below South Africa. At approximately 6,200 miles (10,000 km) in length, this range connects to a series of mid-ocean ridges that encircle the entire planet, with a total length of approximately 25,000 miles (40,000 km). Mountains are caused by seafloor spreading, volcanic activity that occurs in core areas of oceanic crust to replenish crust lost by subduction (slippage) under continental plates. Since subduction occurs only at a rate of about 1 cm per year, only modest volcanic activity is needed to replenish the lost crust, although over geological time it can create large mountain ranges.
Although the existence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was first deduced by Matthew Fontaine Maury in 1850, it was not discovered until 1872, when an expedition from HMS Challenger discovered the ridge while searching for a transatlantic telegraph cable. In 1925, a confirmation of the crest, as well as further details, were discovered by sonar. It was found to be 300 to 600 miles (482.8 to 965.6 km) wide, consisting of a parallel series of ridges increasing in height. The mountains are approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) above the sea floor, which has an average depth of 3 miles (4.8 km). The ridge serves to divide the Atlantic seabed into two distinct basins.
Some peaks of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge are so tall that they rise above the waterline to form islands. These include Jan Mayen in the Arctic Ocean, Iceland, the Azores, Bermuda (which initially formed on the ridge but is now much further west), St Peter’s and St Paul’s Islets, Ascension Island , Tristan da Cunha (which has the highest point on the ridge, Queen Mary’s Peak, 1.24 miles (2 km) above sea level), Gough Island and Bouvet Island. Many of these islands are inhabited. The chain is not a continuous line, but is made up of many misaligned stretches due to millions of years of intense geological activity.
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