Near a divergent boundary, you can expect to find several characteristic geological and geophysical features:
- Mid-ocean ridges or rift valleys : In oceanic settings, divergent boundaries form mid-ocean ridges-underwater mountain ranges created as plates pull apart. On continents, they create rift valleys, such as the East African Rift Valley, where the crust is thinning and subsiding
- New oceanic crust formation : Magma rises from the Earth's mantle through the gap created by the separating plates, cools, and solidifies to form new oceanic crust. This process continuously adds new lithosphere at the boundary
- Volcanic activity : Volcanism is common along divergent boundaries due to magma upwelling. This typically results in basaltic lava flows and the formation of volcanic cones along the ridge or rift
- Earthquakes : Shallow, relatively low-magnitude earthquakes frequently occur as the plates move apart and the crust fractures and adjusts
- Hydrothermal vents : These often form along mid-ocean ridges where seawater interacts with hot magma, supporting unique ecosystems
- Young lithosphere : The crust near divergent boundaries is younger than crust farther away because new material is continuously formed at the boundary and then moves outward
- Fault zones and transform faults : Along mid-ocean ridges, spreading is not uniform, leading to transform faults and fracture zones that offset the ridge segments and are sources of seismic activity
In summary, near a divergent boundary, you expect to find a spreading center marked by new crust formation, volcanic activity, shallow earthquakes, rift valleys or mid-ocean ridges, hydrothermal vents, and associated fault systems. These features reflect the dynamic process of tectonic plates moving apart and creating new lithosphere.
