Friday, February 5, 2010

What's the difference between seamounts and mid ocean ridges?

Big science test tomorrow :-(What's the difference between seamounts and mid ocean ridges?
Mid-ocean ridges are the divergent boundaries between two plates, where upwelling rock is added to the plate margins. They form a single, connected, volcanic mountain range over 40,000 miles/65,000 km in length throughout the world's oceans.





Seamounts are isolated undersea mountains with peaks below the surface and are usually the result of volcanic activity. Most seamounts occur in rows or lines which can extend for thousands of miles across the ocean floor. This pattern is caused by the sea floor plate moving over a stationary ';hot spot'; deep in the earth's mantle. The seamounts northwest of Hawaii are the remains of ancient volcanoes produced by the same hot spot that is currently active in Hawaii.What's the difference between seamounts and mid ocean ridges?
Mid-ocean ridges extend for miles, often hundreds of miles. Seamounts are more isolated and stand alone, like bumps on the ocean floor.
well, a mid-ocean ridge is like a huge trench underwater (just studied this in science class) i don't know what a seamount is though..... sorry about that.

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