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Spread thin in the Arctic

The northernmost segment of the global mid-ocean-ridge system, the Gakkel ridge, is a bit of an oddity. Provocative data are emerging from an international geophysical and geochemical study of the region.

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Figure 1: On top of the world — the Gakkel ridge, subject of the detailed surveys carried out from the Healy and Polarstern.

US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Figure 2: Correlation of the chemical composition of ocean-ridge basalt lavas with the crustal thickness of the ridge.

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Correspondence to Emily M. Klein.

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Klein, E. Spread thin in the Arctic. Nature 423, 932–933 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/423932a

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