This is an ongoing theoretical study of the dynamics of mid- ocean ridges. A range of modeling studies will test existing hypothesis, explore new ones based on existing observations, and make predictions that will suggest new observations. The primary emphasis will be on spreading center structure and segmentation as well as the exisodic nature of the spreading. Specific tasks will be studies of convection generated by composional and thermal buoyancy, 3-D modeling of melt migration, the evolution of ridge geometry, the mechanical factors that control the spacing, dip, and displacement of ridge-parallel normal faults, the importance of strain-rate dependence of viscosity, and an extension of existing of existing 2-D models of the formation of the median valley to three dimensions.
