Axial depth anomalies from 10 to 50° north along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: correlation with other mantle properties

We present an analysis of intermediate- to long-wavelength (a few hundred to a few thousand kilometers) axial depth anomalies along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between 10 and 50°N. The maximum depth of the rift valley is chosen as the elevation datum for oceanic crust of zero-age. The large depth anomalies are correlated, for short wavelengths (less than a few hundred kilometers), with some fracture zones irrespective of their offset and, for intermediate to long wavelengths, with mantle properties expressed in (1) excess elevation near triple junctions, (2) trace element and isotope geochemistry of the basaltic liquids emplaced at the ridge axis, and (3) anomalies in the Earth's gravity field. We suggest that the correlations may be explained in two ways: the depth anomalies of intermediate to long wavelength may represent the sites of upwelling and downwelling of the deep mantle; alternatively, the depth anomalies could be due to a regionalization in temperature or mineralogy in the asthenosphere.