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Side-scan sonar image of a small volcanic ridge that is located within the central low of a spreading segment near 25° N. Illumination is from the right. The ridge is about 3.3 kilometers long, 400 meters wide, and 30 meters high. The along-axis orientation of the ridge mimics neighboring faults and fissures, and it is inferred to have erupted from similar fissures. The smooth, unfaulted flows surrounding the ridge are interpreted to be part of the eruption that built the ridge. These flows cover pre-existing faults and fissures. Information about the small-scale volcanic products and faults gained from images such as these provide insight into the processes of magmatism and tectonism at the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
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