Great Global Rift

Imagine a zipper on your favorite jacket getting stuck, creating a small opening that slowly widens as you try to pull it apart. This is similar to how the Earth's tectonic plates behave at mid-ocean ridges, where they gradually separate and allow magma to rise, forming new seafloor and a mountain system. Just as the zipper's movement creates space and tension, the diverging plates create a rift, where the upward movement of magma builds up a ridge, much like the expanding gap in your jacket's zipper.