Numerical model

The thermal state of mid-ocean ridges exerts a crucial modulation on seafloor spreading processes that shape ~2/3 of our planet’s surface. Standard thermal models treat the ridge axis as a steady-state boundary layer between the hydrosphere and asthenosphere, whose thermal structure primarily reflects the local spreading rate.

Melt supply at slow-ultraslow spreading ridges is overall reduced and highly variable. Magma cooling and crystallization substantially shape the axial thermal regime by providing heat that is lost to the ocean through conduction and hydrothermal convection.