Everything about The East Pacific Rise totally explained
The
East Pacific Rise is a
mid-oceanic ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the
Pacific Ocean. It separates the
Pacific Plate to the west from (north to south) the
North American Plate, the
Rivera Plate, the
Cocos Plate, the
Nazca Plate, and the
Antarctic Plate. It runs from an undefined point near
Antarctica in the south northward to its termination at the northern end of the
Gulf of California in the
Salton Sea basin in southern
California.
Overview
The
oceanic crust is moving away from the East Pacific Rise to either side. On the eastern side the eastward moving plates meet the westward moving
South American Plate and the
North American Plate and are being
subducted under them. The belt of
volcanoes along the
Andes and the arc of volcanoes through
Central America and
Mexico are the direct results of this collision. Due east of the Baja California Peninsula, the newly-formed crust from the Rise appears to be in a transition which is thus far geologically undefined, but may become a subduction zone as well.
Near
Easter Island, the East Pacific Rise meets the
Chile Rise at the Easter Island and Juan Fernandez microplates, trending off to the east where it subducts under the
South American Plate at the
Peru-Chile Trench along the coast of southern
Chile. The southern extension of the East Pacific Rise (called the
Pacific-Antarctic Ridge) merges with the
Southeast Indian Ridge at the
Macquarie Triple Junction south of
New Zealand.
Along the East Pacific Rise the
hydrothermal vents called
black smokers were first discovered and have been extensively studied. These vents are forming
volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits on the ocean floor. Many strange deep-water creatures have been found here. The southern stretch of the East Pacific Rise is one of the fastest-spreading sections of the Earth's
mid-ocean ridge system.
Further Information
Get more info on 'East Pacific Rise'.
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