A near-bottom photographic survey on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge from the FAMOUS region south to Transform B reveals structural and volcanologic evidence for an alternating widening and narrowing rift valley. Extension wedges appear to be propagating south from Transform A and north from Transform B. These merge at Mt. Mars, where the rift valley is narrowest and shallowest (Narrowgate), giving the valley a symmetrical hourglass shape. Three major volcanic en echelon lineaments trend N10 ¿E, 10¿ oblique to the strike of the inner walls. Faulting and fissuring are antisymmetrical across the rift valley in contrast to the major extension. This contrasting antisymmetry reflects the surficial distribution of stress across crust of varying strengths, whereas the large-scale wedge phenomenon determines the periodicity of transition from a narrow valley to a wide valley. Using vector analysis, the extension wedges are propagating at about 9 cm/yr toward each other. At this rate a narrow rift valley will be fully transformed into wide rift in 0.64 m.y.