What happens to magma after it rises at an oceanic spreading centre?

At an oceanic spreading centre, magma rises from the mantle into the gap created as lithospheric plates diverge. Once this molten material reaches the surface or near-surface environment, several processes occur:12

• Solidification and Crust Formation: The magma cools and solidifies to create new [oceanic crust]. This process forms the neovolcanic zone, characterized by chains of small volcanoes and volcanic ridges.13
• Differentiation: Some magma accumulates in chambers below the ridge axis, where it undergoes differentiation—a process that produces various rock types from a single parent magma. This leads to the formation of coarse-grained plutonic rocks like gabbro and diorite, which make up the deeper layers of the oceanic crust.4
• Volcanic Activity: The magma feeds volcanic activity, erupting as mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB). These eruptions often form pillow lavas, which are distinct igneous structures created when lava cools rapidly in seawater.41
• Lateral Spreading: As more magma wells up and cools, the newly formed crust is pushed laterally away from the ridge flanks, a process central to seafloor spreading.2