What are overlapping spreading centres on the East Pacific Rise?

Overlapping spreading centres are distinct geologic features found along the crest of the East Pacific Rise. In these areas, the main spreading centre is interrupted and offset by a few kilometres; however, the ends of these offset segments overlap one another by several kilometres.1

These features are believed to result from interruptions in the magma supply to the ridge crest. They serve to define a fundamental segmentation of the ridge, occurring on a scale ranging from tens to hundreds of kilometres. While the magma chambers beneath the East Pacific Rise are generally continuous, they are notably interrupted by these overlapping spreading centres as well as by transform faults.12