The Azores archipelago (Portugal), in the Central Atlantic Ocean, is located in a tectonic triple junction, between the American, Eurasia and African plates, whose morphologic expression is the Azores Plateau. Geodetic measurements indicate spreading rates of 23 mm/year for the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) and 2.1 mm/year for the Azorean segment (Terceira Ridge).
The Azores plateau is considered as the surface expression of the interaction between the Azores hotspot and the MAR, and presents significant tectonic and volcanic activity. The existence of an anomalously thick crust associated with excesso magmatism, related with the Hotspot, has long been established for the Plateau, however the detailed characterization on its crustal structure, and its variability within the plateau is not yet fully performed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
