Southwest Indian Ridge
Encyclopedia
The Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR) is a divergent tectonic plate boundary located along the floor of the southwest Indian Ocean
. It separates the African Plate
to the north from the Antarctic Plate
to the south.
The SWIR extends between the Rodrigues Triple Point
in the southern Indian Ocean to the Bouvet Triple Junction
in the south Atlantic.
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 African Plate
African Plate
The African Plate is a tectonic plate which includes the continent of Africa, as well as oceanic crust which lies between the continent and various surrounding ocean ridges.-Boundaries:...
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 SWIR 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 to the Bouvet Triple Junction
Bouvet Triple Junction
The Bouvet Triple Junction is a geologic triple junction of three tectonic plates located on the seafloor of the South Atlantic Ocean, named after Bouvet Island....
in the south Atlantic.