What happens to the age of the lithosphere as you move further from the mid-ocean ridge?

As you move further away from the mid-ocean ridge, the age of the lithosphere increases. Here's why:

1. The mid-ocean ridge is a place where new lithosphere (the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle) is being created. This process is known as seafloor spreading.

2. Seafloor spreading occurs when magma rises from the mantle to the seafloor, cools and solidifies to form new lithosphere. This new lithosphere then moves away from the ridge due to tectonic forces.

3. As the new lithosphere moves away from the ridge, more magma rises to the seafloor to form more new lithosphere. This means that the lithosphere that was previously formed gets pushed further away from the ridge.

4. Therefore, the further away from the mid-ocean ridge you go, the older the lithosphere is. This is because it was formed earlier and has been pushed away from the ridge by the formation of newer lithosphere.