Question

How do mineral deposits form at divergent ocean plate boundaries?(1 point)
Responses

Heat and pressure change the chemical composition of rocks to form minerals.
Heat and pressure change the chemical composition of rocks to form minerals.

Underground heated water pulls minerals through cracks in the crust, forming veins of minerals.
Underground heated water pulls minerals through cracks in the crust, forming veins of minerals.

Deep underground minerals are lifted up by land movement and exposed by weathering and erosion.
Deep underground minerals are lifted up by land movement and exposed by weathering and erosion.

Metals dissolve in superheated water, forming minerals when the water cools.

Answer 1

At divergent ocean plate boundaries, mineral deposits primarily form through the process where **metals dissolve in superheated water, forming minerals when the water cools.** This process occurs at hydrothermal vents, where seawater enters the ocean floor, is heated by magma, and then rises back to the surface, precipitating minerals as it cools.