Southeast Indian Ridge
Encyclopedia
The Southeast Indian Ridge (SEIR) is a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the seafloor of the southern Indian Ocean
. It separates the Indo-Australian Plate
to the north from the Antarctic Plate
to the south.
The SEIR extends between the Rodrigues Triple Point
in the southern Indian Ocean travels through the Southern Ocean
south of the Australian continent on to the Macquarie Triple Junction
in the southwest Pacific Ocean
.
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. It separates the Indo-Australian Plate
Indo-Australian Plate
The Indo-Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes the continent of Australia and surrounding ocean, and extends northwest to include the Indian subcontinent and adjacent waters...
to the north from the Antarctic Plate
Antarctic Plate
The Antarctic Plate is a tectonic plate covering the continent of Antarctica and extending outward under the surrounding oceans. The Antarctic Plate has a boundary with the Nazca Plate, the South American Plate, the African Plate, the Indo-Australian Plate, the Scotia Plate and a divergent boundary...
to the south.
The SEIR extends between the Rodrigues Triple Point
Rodrigues Triple Point
The Rodrigues Triple Point is a geologic triple junction in the southern Indian Ocean where three tectonic plates meet: the African Plate, the Indo-Australian Plate, and the Antarctic Plate...
in the southern Indian Ocean travels through the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
south of the Australian continent on to the Macquarie Triple Junction
Macquarie Triple Junction
The Macquarie Triple Junction is a geologic triple junction located at on the seafloor of the South Pacific Ocean south of New Zealand. It is named for nearby Macquarie Island.Three major tectonic plates meet at this triple junction:* Indo-Australian Plate...
in the southwest Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.