The age of the oceanic rocks near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge becomes younger as you move nearer to the ridge because this is where seafloor spreading is happening, and new oceanic crust is forming at these seafloor spreading centers. The rocks that make up the crust on the oceans floor are youngest near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and they are colored red in the picture. The farther from the spreading center, the older the rocks are. The oldest rocks in the Atlantic are about 180 million years old. The pattern of crust age is fairly symmetrical on either side of the ridge.

In summary, the ages of the oceanic rocks near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge become younger as you move nearer to the ridge because of seafloor spreading, and the rocks are oldest farther from the spreading center.