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The thickness of Earth's crust (km). The continental crust consists of various layers, with a bulk composition that is intermediate (SiO 2 wt% = 60.6). [5] The average density of the continental crust is about, 2.83 g/cm 3 (0.102 lb/cu in), [6] less dense than the ultramafic material that makes up the mantle, which has a density of around 3.3 g/cm 3 (0.12 lb/cu in).
North China Craton – Continental crustal block in northeast China, Inner Mongolia, the Yellow Sea, and North Korea; Ossa-Morena plate; Piemont-Liguria plate – Former piece of oceanic crust that is seen as part of the Tethys Ocean; Proto-Alps terrane; Rhenohercynian plate – Fold belt of west and central Europe, formed during the Hercynian ...
Most areas of oceanic crust show characteristic stripes due to periodic magnetic reversals during formation at a mid-oceanic ridge. The continental crust is by contrast typically magnetically quiet. This method is dependent on stripes being present and will not work for oceanic crust created during the Cretaceous Quiet Zone. On some magma-rich ...
Oceanic lithosphere is associated with oceanic crust (having a mean density of about 2.9 grams per cubic centimetre or 0.10 pounds per cubic inch) and exists in the ocean basins. Continental lithosphere is associated with continental crust (having a mean density of about 2.7 grams per cubic centimetre or 0.098 pounds per cubic inch) and ...
Mars, Venus, Mercury and other planetary bodies have relatively quasi-uniform crusts unlike that of the Earth which contains both oceanic and continental plates. [1] This unique property reflects the complex series of crustal processes that have taken place throughout the planet's history, including the ongoing process of plate tectonics .
Continental and oceanic crust on the Earth's upper mantle. Oceanic crust is the uppermost layer of the oceanic portion of the tectonic plates. It is composed of the upper oceanic crust, with pillow lavas and a dike complex, and the lower oceanic crust, composed of troctolite, gabbro and ultramafic cumulates.
Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust because it has less silicon and more of the heavier elements than continental crust. [11] [12] As a result of this density difference, oceanic crust generally lies below sea level, while continental crust buoyantly projects above sea level. Average oceanic lithosphere is typically 100 km (62 mi ...
In geology, a continent is defined by continental crust, which is a platform of metamorphic and igneous rocks, largely of granitic composition. Continental crust is less dense and much thicker than oceanic crust, which causes it to "float" higher than oceanic crust on the dense underlying mantle. This explains why the continents form high ...