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Plates in the crust of Earth. Earth's crust is its thick outer shell of rock, referring to less than one percent of the planet's radius and volume.It is the top component of the lithosphere, a solidified division of Earth's layers that includes the crust and the upper part of the mantle. [1]
The internal structure of Earth. In geology, the crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite.It is usually distinguished from the underlying mantle by its chemical makeup; however, in the case of icy satellites, it may be defined based on its phase (solid crust vs. liquid mantle).
Earth's crust – Earth's outer shell of rock Continental crust – Layer of rock that forms the continents and continental shelves; Oceanic crust – Uppermost layer of the oceanic portion of a tectonic plate; Earth's mantle – A layer of silicate rock between Earth's crust and its outer core
The tectonic plates of the lithosphere on Earth Earth cutaway from center to surface, the lithosphere comprising the crust and lithospheric mantle (detail not to scale). A lithosphere (from Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos) 'rocky' and σφαίρα (sphaíra) 'sphere') is the rigid, [1] outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite.
Earth's crust ranges from 5 to 70 kilometres (3.1–43.5 mi) [7] in depth and is the outermost layer. [8] The thin parts are the oceanic crust , which underlies the ocean basins (5–10 km) and is mafic -rich [ 9 ] (dense iron-magnesium silicate mineral or igneous rock ). [ 10 ]
continental crust The layer of granitic, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks which form the parts of the Earth's crust that comprise the continents, and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores (known as continental shelves). continental margin Zone of the ocean floor, separating the thin oceanic crust from thicker continental crust.
A new study suggests that the planet’s icy interior and liquid ocean could be insulated with a three-to-six-mile-thick layer of methane clathrate, which is solid water ice with methane gas ...
Plate tectonics (from Latin tectonicus, from Ancient Greek τεκτονικός (tektonikós) 'pertaining to building') [1] is the scientific theory that Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago.