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Abstract

Conventional studies of oceanic structure and evolution are inevitably hampered by the difficulties with sampling the crust in the third dimension. Subsurface studies with deep seismic techniques provide some measure of understanding below the seafloor. Ophiolite studies, however, can provide a vast body of knowledge with regard to the deeper structure and crustal compositions, which is unattainable in the deep sea. In turn, many of the recent regional and detailed structures identified at mid-ocean spreading systems such as ridge segmentation patterns and ridge axis discontinuities, now form a significant contribution to recent studies of ophiolite complexes. The book will be of interest to academics from undergraduates upwards and also to industrial researchers concerned with metal sulphide and platinum group element deposits. Cover illustration: Deep-tow sidescan sonograph of the axial floor of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge around 24°N. Data were recorded using the IOSDL Towed Ocean Bottom Instrument. View is 6×8 km in a water depth of around 3500 m. Cratered seamounts, freshly mounded pillow constructs and linear fault scarps are clearly imaged. These currently active ridge processes compare directly with their ancient analogues discussed in this publication.