Despite the availability of numerous geophysical data, no convincing magnetic anomaly identification and structural map of a major part of the Arabian and eastern Somali Basins have been published to date. I propose a new interpretation of the available magnetic data based on the identification of tiny wiggles, i.e., singular second-order patterns of the magnetic signal. Only one fracture zone and a set of propagating rifts existed between the Owen Fracture Zone and the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge between anomalies 26 and 20. At anomalies 26-25, at least two eastward propagating rifts are identified, while at anomalies 24-20, seven westward propagating rifts are confidently recognized. The major consequence of this systematic ridge propagation is a tremendous regional asymmetry: between anomalies 26 and 25, about 65% of the crust formed at the Carlsberg Ridge was accreted to the African Plate, while at anomalies 24-20, more than 75% benefited to the Indian Plate. I suggest that these asymmetries result from the relative position of the Carlsberg Ridge and the nearby Deccan-Reunion hotspot, the ridge tending to remain near the hotspot. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union