GENERAL GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The tectonic plates under the Americas, Europe, and Africa are being pushed apart as the Atlantic Ocean widens year by year. New research reveals what’s pushing the plates apart: Material from deep within the Earth is bursting upward at an undersea ridge in the middle of the Atlantic.

Detailed explanation-2: -Atlantic Ocean growing by a few centimeters every year because of sea floor spreading. Seafloor spreading occurs at divergent plate boundaries as the tectonic plates slowly move away from each other. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is formed in the Atlantic ocean because of sea floor spreading.

Detailed explanation-3: -These days, the Atlantic Ocean is growing at a rate of five centimetres per year, as new sea floor is created by volcanic activity along its mid-ocean ridge. On the other hand, the much older Pacific Ocean is currently estimated to be shrinking by two to three centimetres each year.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Pacific ocean basin is getting smaller because the Atlantic Ocean is opening and North America and South America are moving westward. Most of the Pacific Ocean is underlain by the Pacific plate. The Pacific plate is bordered on the east by three smaller plates, the Nazca Cocos, and Juan de Fuca plates.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs down the center of the Atlantic Ocean, slowly spreading at a rate of 2 to 5 centimeters (0.8 to 2 inches) per year and forming a rift valley that is about the depth and width of the Grand Canyon.