The Galápagos Rise is an extinct spreading centre located about southsouthwest of the Galápagos islands, and west of Peru which was active in the Miocene period. It developed shortly after the Farallon plate broke into two parts, forming the Cocos and Nazca plates. During its existence as a spreading centre the Galápagos Rise formed the eastern boundary of the Bauer microplate.
Geography
Extent
The rise is made up of a series of inactive ridge and transform segments, currently within the northwestern part of the Nazca plate, between about 8° and 17° South latitude. The northern end of the rise is delineated by two fracture zones, the North and South Gallego fracture zones. that began to rotate anti-clockwise. In its southward propagation, the Galápagos Rise appears to have been unable to cross the South Marquesas/Mendana fracture zone, possibly because the oceanic lithosphere to the south was older and stronger. It was named the Galápagos Rise in 1964, and further studies from 1972 onward suggested it was associated with a fossil spreading centre.