AN INTERRIDGE WORKING GROUP

Transform faults cover a significant portion of the active part of the Mid Ocean Ridge system. They generally consist of a single narrow strike-slip zone offsetting two mid-ocean ridge segments. This oversimplified view is challenged by growing evidences of the tectonic complexity of the transform boundaries and their significant interaction with the magmatic, hydrothermal and thermal setting of the ridges... Transform faults react rapidly and deform under the influence of far field stresses, as changes in plate motion. However, not all transforms react equally to equivalent stress changes, suggesting the influence of local parameters such as offset length, spreading rate, temperature and composition of the mantle. Numerical models and observational studies reveal the role of transform faults in shaping the geometry of mantle flow and active processes at mid-oceanic ridge axes. These processes are most evident at the extreme limits of spreading rate and transform offset size. At slow..