The ridge is at the center of a spreading zone where magma being erupted through the ridge causes spreading that is usually seafloor; one exception is Iceland where the ridge is exposed on dry land. A ridge is also the home to “black smokers” that are the surface manifestation of leaching minerals from the oceanic crust. It is fine metal sulfides that cause the smoke like effects when the hot water cools enough to cause these minerals to precipitate where they are deposited in chimney like structures around the black smoker.
The Kidd Creek Mine in Timmins, Ontario an example of a volcanic massive sulfide deposit. NOAA |
This article as posted in both upper and lower case, but this computer seems to think otherwise and printed it in all upper case. Computers are nothing except a typrwriter with a bad attitude!
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