What Causes Mid Ocean Ridges?

Mid-ocean ridges occur along divergent plate boundaries, where new ocean floor is created as the Earth's tectonic plates spread apart. As the plates separate, molten rock rises to the seafloor, producing enormous volcanic eruptions of basalt.

Does seafloor spreading cause mid-ocean ridges?

Seafloor spreading occurs along mid-ocean ridges—large mountain ranges rising from the ocean floor. ... Slowly spreading ridges are the sites of tall, narrow underwater cliffs and mountains. Rapidly spreading ridges have a much more gentle slopes. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, for instance, is a slow spreading center.

What causes the mid-ocean ridges to be higher than the surrounding ocean floor?

At the ridge, new crust forms by igneous intrusion and extrusion. ... Since hot rocks are in a more expanded state and then contract as they cool (as they spread away from the ridge), the midocean ridges stand up high above the surrounding seafloor. The seafloor depth increases with distance away from the midocean ridges.