Knowra Central Indian Ridge Central Indian Ridge The Central Indian Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge in the Indian Ocean where the African, Indo-Australian, and Antarctic plates diverge and new oceanic crust forms.
Seafloor spreading : The process by which magma rises at a divergent boundary, forms oceanic crust, and moves older seafloor outward. This ridge is a site where seafloor spreading creates Indian Ocean crust.
Indian Ocean : The ocean between Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antarctica, containing several active spreading ridges. The Central Indian Ridge runs through this ocean basin.
Gondwana : An ancient supercontinent that included Africa, Antarctica, India, Australia, and South America. Its breakup established the plate configuration from which Indian Ocean spreading developed.
Seafloor bathymetry : The measurement and mapping of underwater depth and seafloor topography. Bathymetric maps identify the ridge axis, valleys, and offset segments.
East African Rift : A continental rift system in East Africa where the lithosphere is stretching and beginning to separate. It is an emerging continental divergence, unlike this established oceanic spreading ridge.
Mid-ocean ridge : An underwater mountain chain formed where tectonic plates diverge and magma creates new oceanic crust. The Central Indian Ridge is one segment of this global system.
African Plate : A major tectonic plate carrying most of Africa and adjoining oceanic crust. Its eastern boundary participates in spreading across the Indian Ocean.
Breakup of Gondwana : The prolonged fragmentation of Gondwana that opened ocean basins and separated its constituent continental blocks. This breakup created the plate boundaries and ocean floor later linked to the ridge.
Marine magnetic anomaly : A variation in the ocean-floor magnetic field produced by magnetized rocks recording Earth's polarity history. Magnetic stripes help estimate crustal ages and spreading rates near the ridge.
Peru–Chile Trench : A deep-ocean trench marking subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American Plate. It illustrates convergent plate motion, opposite to the ridge's divergence.
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