Page 181 - (DK) I Can’t Believe It! 2

IT CAN’T BE TRUE! 179

The Mid-Ocean Ridge system formed along
the joins between tectonic plates (sections
of Earth’s crust), which move continually. When The
the plates pull apart, magma from inside Earth’s Mid-Ocean
mantle comes to the surface and hardens Ridge system is
into mountains. more than nine
times longer
than the
Andes.

The Andes is the
longest mountain
range on land,
stretching 4,350 miles
(7,000 km) through
seven countries in
South America.

FAST FACTS

Urals (Europe/Asia)
Earth is home 1,500 miles (2,400 km)
to several large Transantarctic Mountains
mountain ranges, with at (Antarctica) 2,175 miles (3,500 km)
least one on every major
landmass. This chart shows the Great Dividing Range
longest ranges on each continent. (Australia) 2,250 miles (3,600 km)
Himalayas/Karakoram/Hindu Kush
The top of the ridge (Asia) 2,400 miles (3,800 km)
is, on average, 8,200 ft Great Escarpment
(2,500 m) below sea (Africa) 3,100 miles (5,000 km)
level. Most volcanic
eruptions around the Rocky Mountains/Sierra Madre Oriental
ridge are so deep, (North America) 3,700 miles (6,000 km)
they go unnoticed. Andes
(South America) 4,350 miles (7,000 km)

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