how are the plates moving relative to each other at the mid-ocean ridge

At a mid-ocean ridge, the tectonic plates are moving away from each other; this is a divergent plate boundary where the plates pull apart and new ocean crust forms between them.

Plate motion at mid-ocean ridges

• Mid-ocean ridges mark places where two oceanic plates diverge, meaning they move apart horizontally on either side of the ridge axis.

• As the plates separate, magma rises from the mantle, fills the gap, and solidifies to create new oceanic crust, a process called seafloor spreading.

What “moving apart” looks like

• If you stood on one plate at the ridge, the opposite plate would slowly move away from you, typically a few centimeters per year, like fingernail growth speed.

• The ridge itself stays roughly centered between the diverging plates, continually producing new crust that pushes older crust farther away on both sides.

Why the plates move this way

• Heat and upwelling in the mantle beneath the ridge help push the plates apart by creating buoyant, hot, and slightly elevated crust at the ridge crest.

• Gravitational forces on cooling, denser oceanic plates (ridge push and slab pull) also contribute to the outward motion away from the ridge over millions of years.

TL;DR: At the mid-ocean ridge, the plates are diverging—moving apart from each other while new seafloor forms between them.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.