Abyssal hills formed by stretching oceanic lithosphere

Abstract

Tectonic plates are formed and move apart at mid-ocean ridges. Some portion of this plate-separation process can occur by stretching of the crust, resulting in a complex pattern of extensional faults. Abyssal hills, the most ubiquitous topographic features on Earth, are thought to be a product of this faulting. Here we report the results of a self-consistent numerical model of lithospheric formation and stretching that includes spontaneous fault creation.