View article

At slow‐spreading mid‐ocean ridges, crustal accretion style can vary significantly along and across ridge segments. In magma‐poor regions, seafloor spreading can be accommodated largely by tectonic processes, however, the internal structure and formation mechanism of such highly tectonized crust are not fully understood. We analyze multibeam bathymetry and potential field data from the Rainbow area of the Mid‐Atlantic Ridge (35°40'N–36°40'N), a section of the ridge that shows diverse accretion styles. We identify volcanic, tectonized and sedimented terrain and measure exposed fault area to estimate the tectonic strain, T, and the fraction of magmatic accretion, M. Estimated T values range from 0.2–0.4 on ridge segments to 0.6‐0.8 at the Rainbow nontransform discontinuity (NTD). At segment ends T is asymmetric, reflecting asymmetries in accretion rate, topography and faulting between inside and outside …