spreading centre, in oceanography and geology, the linear boundary between two diverging lithospheric plates on the ocean floor. As the two plates move apart from each other, which often occurs at a rate of several centimetres per year, molten rock wells up from the underlying mantle into the gap between the diverging plates and solidifies into new oceanic crust. Spreading centres are found at the crests of oceanic ridges.
Spreading centres are divided into several geologic zones. The neovolcanic zone is at the very axis. It is 1 to 2 km (0.6 to 1.2 miles) wide and is the site of recent and active volcanism and of the hydrothermal vents. It is marked by chains of small volcanoes or volcanic ridges. Adjacent to the neovolcanic zone is one marked by fissures in the seafloor. This may be 1 to 2 km wide. Beyond this point occurs a zone of active faulting. Here, fissures develop into normal faults with vertical offsets. This zone may be 10 km (about 6 miles) wide or more. At slow spreading rates the faults have offsets of hundreds of metres, creating rift valleys and rift mountains. At faster rates the vertical offsets are 50 metres (about 160 feet) or less. A deep rift valley is not formed because the vertical uplifts are cancelled out by faults that downdrop uplifted blocks. This results in linear, fault-bounded abyssal hills and valleys trending parallel to the spreading centre.
Other features of spreading centres include metal-rich sediments and pillow lavas, which are concentrations of igneous rock that resemble large overstuffed pillows about 1 metre (about 3 feet) in cross section and one to several metres long. They commonly form small hills tens of metres high at the spreading centres. In addition, sediments at spreading centres are enriched by iron, manganese, copper, chromium, lead, and other metals. Geologic processes that occur at spreading centres, such as hydrothermal circulation, are responsible for the formation of these metals. The metal deposits found near spreading centres are often rich enough to be exploited economically.