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What is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and where does it extend?

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Map graphic showing the boundaries of the five oceans-Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern-using color-coded regions. Four different map projections are included: North Pole view, South Pole view, International Date Line view, and Greenwich Meridian view, each displaying the oceans' extents around the continents. — ocean Earth's oceans and their marginal seas cover nearly 71 percent of the planet's surface.

The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a massive submarine mountain chain located along the north-south axis of the Atlantic Ocean. It serves as a critical geological feature where crustal plates meet, acting as a site of seafloor spreading where molten magma rises to form new crust.12

This mountain chain extends for approximately 10,000 miles (16,000 km) in a curving path. It stretches from the Arctic Ocean in the north to near the southern tip of Africa in the south. Along its crest, the ridge features a wide rift valley, and in some locations, the mountains rise above sea level to form islands such as the Azores and Tristan da Cunha.1