South Atlantic Ridge

the part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean that is south of the Chain Fracture Zone, near the equator. The ridge extends 10,500 km in a meridional direction. Near Bouvet Island, at about 55° S lat., the ridge is deflected in a latitudinal direction and becomes known as the African-Antarctic Ridge. The ridge is strongly dissected. Depths above the mountains range from 1,800 to 3,400 m (in the southern part). There is a series of underwater volcanoes on the slopes of the ridge. Some of the peaks form volcanic islands, including Ascension, St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha, Gough, and Bouvet.