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The Mid-Atlantic Ridge primarily functions as a convergent plate boundary.
Answer: False
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is characterized as a divergent plate boundary, where tectonic plates move apart, rather than a convergent boundary where they collide.
The average spreading rate of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is significantly faster than that of the East Pacific Rise.
Answer: False
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge has a relatively slow spreading rate (approximately 2.5 cm/year), whereas the East Pacific Rise exhibits a faster spreading rate.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is thought to have played a role in the formation of the supercontinent Pangaea.
Answer: False
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is associated with the breakup of Pangaea, not its formation. Its development contributed to the rifting and separation of continental masses.
The geological process of forming new oceanic crust occurs within the rift valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Answer: True
Magma rises from the mantle within the rift valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, erupts as lava, cools, and solidifies to form new oceanic crust.
The divergent boundary that formed the Mid-Atlantic Ridge first emerged during the Triassic period.
Answer: True
The geological processes that led to the formation of the divergent boundary comprising the Mid-Atlantic Ridge originated during the Triassic period.
Aulacogens are described as successful rift arms that fully split continents during the formation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Answer: False
Aulacogens are considered failed rift arms of three-armed grabens that coalesced on the supercontinent Pangaea. They did not fully split continents but became significant geological features like river valleys.
What type of plate boundary is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
Answer: Divergent boundary where plates move apart.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a classic example of a divergent plate boundary, characterized by the separation of tectonic plates and the creation of new oceanic crust.
What is the approximate average spreading rate of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge per year?
Answer: 2.5 centimeters (1 inch)
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge exhibits a relatively slow average spreading rate, approximately 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) per year.
What geological feature runs along the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where magma rises to form new oceanic crust?
Answer: A deep rift valley
A prominent rift valley extends along the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is the site where magma ascends from the mantle, erupts, and forms new oceanic crust.
During which geological period did the divergent boundary that formed the Mid-Atlantic Ridge first emerge?
Answer: Triassic
The initial rifting and formation of the divergent boundary that would become the Mid-Atlantic Ridge commenced during the Triassic period.
What are 'aulacogens' in the context of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge's formation, according to the source?
Answer: Failed arms of three-armed grabens on Pangaea.
Aulacogens represent failed rift arms that were part of the three-armed graben system on the supercontinent Pangaea, which ultimately contributed to the formation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Which basin on the Atlantic coast of North America serves as geological evidence related to the ancestral Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
Answer: The Fundy Basin
The Fundy Basin, situated on the Atlantic coast of North America, provides geological evidence indicative of the ancestral Mid-Atlantic Ridge system.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is characterized as the shortest mountain range on Earth.
Answer: False
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is recognized as the longest mountain range on Earth, not the shortest.
In the North Atlantic Ocean, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates the North American plate from the South American plate.
Answer: False
In the North Atlantic, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates the North American plate from the Eurasian and African plates. The South American plate is separated from the African plate by the ridge in the South Atlantic.
The geographical extent of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge stretches from the Arctic Ocean region to the South Atlantic Ocean.
Answer: True
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge extends from a junction with the Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic region southward to the Bouvet triple junction in the South Atlantic.
A plateau runs along the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, marking the boundary between plates.
Answer: False
The axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is characterized by a rift valley, not a plateau. This rift valley marks the boundary between adjacent tectonic plates.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is divided into the North Atlantic Ridge and the South Atlantic Ridge by the Romanche Trench.
Answer: True
The Romanche Trench, located near the Equator, serves as the geographical division between the North Atlantic Ridge and the South Atlantic Ridge.
The Romanche Trench is one of the deepest points in the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the primary boundary between the North and South American plates.
Answer: False
While the Romanche Trench is one of the deepest points in the Atlantic, it divides the North and South Atlantic Ridges but is not the primary boundary between the North and South American plates.
The Mid-Atlantic Rise is a feature where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is at its lowest point due to subsidence.
Answer: False
The Mid-Atlantic Rise is a progressive bulge along the Atlantic Ocean floor, situated at the highest point of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, believed to be caused by upward convective forces in the asthenosphere.
Which of the following is recognized as the longest mountain range in the world?
Answer: The Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is recognized as the longest mountain range on Earth, extending approximately 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) across the Atlantic Ocean floor.
In the South Atlantic Ocean, what two plates does the Mid-Atlantic Ridge separate?
Answer: African and South American plates
In the South Atlantic Ocean, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge functions as the boundary between the African plate and the South American plate.
Near the Equator, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is divided into the North and South Atlantic Ridges by which feature?
Answer: The Romanche Trench
The Romanche Trench, situated near the Equator, serves as the geographical boundary separating the North Atlantic Ridge from the South Atlantic Ridge.
What geological process is believed to cause the Mid-Atlantic Rise, described as a progressive bulge along the Atlantic Ocean floor?
Answer: Upward convective forces in the asthenosphere
The Mid-Atlantic Rise is attributed to upward convective forces within the asthenosphere, which create a bulge in the oceanic lithosphere upon which the Mid-Atlantic Ridge lies.
In the North Atlantic, north and south of the Azores triple junction, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge serves as the boundary between which plates?
Answer: North American and Eurasian/African plates
North of the Azores triple junction, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge separates the North American and Eurasian plates. South of it, it separates the North American and African plates.
Which statement accurately describes the significance of the Romanche Trench according to the source?
Answer: It divides the North and South Atlantic Ridges but is not the primary plate boundary itself.
The Romanche Trench serves as a significant geographical marker dividing the North and South Atlantic Ridges, though it is not the primary boundary between major tectonic plates in that region.
Iceland is the only landmass where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is visible above sea level.
Answer: False
While Iceland is a prominent example, other islands such as the Azores, Ascension Island, and Tristan da Cunha are also located on or near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The Azores island group is located in the Southern Hemisphere and lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Answer: False
The Azores island group is located in the Northern Hemisphere and is situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha are examples of islands located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Northern Hemisphere.
Answer: False
Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha are located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Southern Hemisphere.
Hvannadalshnukur is identified as the highest peak in the Azores archipelago.
Answer: False
Hvannadalshnukur is the highest peak in Iceland. The highest peak in the Azores archipelago is Ponta do Pico.
Within Iceland, the section of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is referred to as the Reykjanes Ridge.
Answer: False
The Reykjanes Ridge is the section of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge southwest of Iceland. Within Iceland itself, the ridge is known as the Neovolcanic Zone.
Which of these islands is located in the Northern Hemisphere and situated on or near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
Answer: Iceland
Iceland is a prominent island nation situated in the Northern Hemisphere that lies directly astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
What is the highest peak mentioned in the Azores island group?
Answer: Ponta do Pico
Ponta do Pico (also referred to as Pico Alto) on Pico Island is the highest peak within the Azores archipelago.
What is the specific name given to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge section located close to southwest Iceland?
Answer: Reykjanes Ridge
The submarine segment of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge situated southwest of Iceland is designated as the Reykjanes Ridge.
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is primarily an underwater feature. Which of the following is highlighted as a notable exception where it rises significantly above sea level?
Answer: Iceland
Iceland represents a significant terrestrial manifestation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where volcanic activity associated with the ridge brings the feature substantially above sea level.
Matthew Fontaine Maury first inferred the existence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in 1853 using sonar technology.
Answer: False
Matthew Fontaine Maury inferred the existence of a ridge in 1853 based on depth soundings from the USS Dolphin, not sonar technology, which was developed later.
The primary objective of the HMS Challenger expedition was to confirm the existence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Answer: False
While the HMS Challenger expedition confirmed the existence of the ridge, its primary objective was broader oceanographic research, including investigating a potential location for a transatlantic telegraph cable.
Sonar technology was first used to confirm the existence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in 1925.
Answer: True
The existence and extent of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge were confirmed and mapped using sonar technology in 1925.
The German Meteor expedition discovered that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge extended into the Pacific Ocean.
Answer: False
The German Meteor expedition discovered that the ridge extended around Cape Agulhas into the Indian Ocean, not the Pacific.
Mapping in the 1950s revealed the Mid-Atlantic Ridge possessed a smooth, featureless topography.
Answer: False
Mapping efforts in the 1950s, notably by Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen, revealed that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge possessed a complex and distinctive topography characterized by valleys and ridges.
The central valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was found to be seismologically inactive during the 1950s mapping.
Answer: False
The 1950s mapping revealed that the central valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was seismologically active, serving as a zone of frequent earthquakes.
Who is credited with first inferring the existence of a ridge in the North Atlantic based on ship soundings in 1853?
Answer: Matthew Fontaine Maury
Matthew Fontaine Maury, a U.S. naval officer and oceanographer, first proposed the existence of a ridge in the North Atlantic in 1853, based on depth soundings.
Which significant expedition confirmed the presence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and its extension into the South Atlantic?
Answer: The HMS Challenger expedition
The scientific expedition aboard HMS Challenger (1872-1876) confirmed the existence of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and mapped its presence extending into the South Atlantic.
What technology was used in 1925 to confirm the existence and map the extent of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge?
Answer: Sonar
Sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging) technology proved instrumental in confirming the existence and mapping the detailed topography of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge starting in 1925.
Mapping efforts in the 1950s, involving scientists like Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen, revealed what key characteristic of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge's topography?
Answer: It possessed a distinctive topography of valleys and ridges.
The comprehensive mapping conducted in the 1950s revealed that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is not featureless but possesses a complex topography characterized by prominent valleys and ridges.
Marie Tharp's significant contribution related to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge was primarily through:
Answer: Mapping the ocean floors and revealing ridge topography.
Marie Tharp was instrumental in creating detailed maps of the ocean floor, including the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which revealed its complex topography and contributed significantly to the understanding of plate tectonics.
The discovery of the worldwide mid-ocean ridge system was crucial for the development of the theory of plate tectonics.
Answer: True
The identification of a global mid-ocean ridge system provided critical evidence supporting the theories of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics.
What significant geological theory was strongly supported and developed following the discovery of the worldwide mid-ocean ridge system?
Answer: The theory of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics
The discovery of the global mid-ocean ridge system provided foundational evidence that significantly advanced and solidified the theories of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics.
Which of the following is NOT listed as a related mid-ocean ridge feature in the 'See also' section of the source?
Answer: Mariana Trench Ridge
The source lists Gakkel Ridge, Chile Ridge, and East Pacific Rise as related mid-ocean ridge features, but Mariana Trench Ridge is not included in that specific list.
What was the primary focus of the MAR-ECO project mentioned in the source?
Answer: Studying the life forms along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The MAR-ECO project, a component of the Census of Marine Life, was specifically focused on the study of biodiversity and life forms inhabiting the Mid-Atlantic Ridge ecosystem.