This paper presents the results of detailed studies of the axial zone of the Carlsberg Ridge, located in the North-West Indian Ocean, which is the divergent boundary of the Indian and Somali plates. Based on magnetic and bathymetric data collected in the 1990s by Russian hydrographic vessels, along with satellite altimetry data, over 300 profiles crossing the ridge were analyzed, enabling the study of variations in seafloor depth along the ridge axis. Data analysis revealed about thirty-eight first- and second-order discontinuities and showed that tectonic activity is higher in the Northwest (NW) part of the ridge. Bathymetric data allowed us to construct an axial profile along the rift valley, showing that the deepest (up to 4.6 km) points are located in the North-West (NW) part, and the highest (up to 2 km) points are located also in the NW part. The linear half-spreading rate was determined for anomalies younger than C4n.1 (7.537 Ma), which made it possible to estimate the degree of asymmetry of accretion of the oceanic crust. The average spreading rate for segments 24 and 25 was about 15 mm/year, with an asymmetry of 6–7%. It was also found that the amplitude of the outward displacement of magnetic linear anomalies in these segments reaches 10 km. The spreading rate increases from the NW to the SE part of the ridge, reaching about 15.7 mm/year. The developed analytical signal method made it possible to accurately determine the positions of the boundaries of blocks of normal and reverse polarity. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.