Along the mid-ocean ridge, where would you find the youngest and oldest crust?
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Hi Josh; If you can put your hands on a world map or any map showing the entire Atlantic Ocean it would help explain what is happening. There is one humongous bulge running North to South or Viceversa through the length of the Atlantic Ocean. On top of this bulge is a ridge where lava is constantly flowing out of both sides. That would be the newest crust which solidifies somewhat as it comes in contact with the ocean's water. Imagine that happening the entire length of the ridge. The new lava then pushes the old lava East and West. and it eventually becomes the oldest crust. Now, looking at the map, you will see that the African Continent sticks out and a bit further South, the South American Continent sticks out as well. The ridge follows that "bend" and we have an East/West ridge for awhile, then it straightens out. Josh, this gets a little technical here because there is plate tech tonics doing their thing at the same time. Go to the Yahoo home page and type in atlantic ridge. You will be given several choices but I suggest two. One being the Wikipedia version and the other is the New World Encyclopedia version. They both explain what's happening in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. I hope my explanation helped a bit-good luck =) Mr. Vic
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You find the youngest at the ridge, and the oceanic lithosphere gets progressively older the further you move away from the ridge.