Which term describes the point where a fingerprint ridge forks into two or more ridges?

• A. Ending Ridge
• B. Bifurcation
• C. Short Ridge
• D. Ridge Island

Answer: (B)

In fingerprint analysis, the key idea is that ridges have specific shapes that can be used to compare prints. The moment a ridge splits into two or more ridges is called a bifurcation. This feature creates a branching, often forming a Y-like shape, and its exact location and relationship to surrounding minutiae help examiners establish matches between prints. By contrast, an ending ridge simply stops, a short ridge is just a ridge that is unusually brief, and a ridge island is a small ridge that ends in an isolated "island" of ridge. So, the fork point is described as a bifurcation.