Continental crust is low in density whereas oceanic crust has a higher density . Continental crust is thicker, on the contrary, the oceanic crust is thinner. Continental crust floats on magma freely but oceanic crust floats on magma scarcely. Continental crust cannot recycle whereas oceanic crust can recycle it.
What are the differences of continental and oceanic crust?
The crust is the outer layer of the Earth. It is the solid rock layer upon which we live. ... Continental crust is typically 30-50 km thick , whilst oceanic crust is only 5-10 km thick. Oceanic crust is denser, can be subducted and is constantly being destroyed and replaced at plate boundaries.
What are 3 differences between oceanic and continental crust?
Continental crust is low in density whereas oceanic crust has a higher density . Continental crust is thicker, on the contrary, the oceanic crust is thinner. Continental crust floats on magma freely but oceanic crust floats on magma scarcely. Continental crust cannot recycle whereas oceanic crust can recycle it.
What are two differences between oceanic crust and continental crust quizlet?
The oceanic crust is thinner and denser , and is similar in composition to basalt (Si, O, Ca, Mg, and Fe). The continental crust is thicker and less dense, and is similar to granite in composition (Si, O, Al, K, and Na). The mantle is made of magnesium, iron and silicon. The core is almost exclusively iron and nickel.
What are three differences between oceanic and continental crust Brainly?
The oceanic crust is made up of basalt while the continental crust is made up of granite. The oceanic crust is thinner while the continental crust is much thicker . The oceanic crust is denser than the continental crust. The continental crust has greater buoyancy than the oceanic crust.
What is an example of continental crust?
The continental crust is the layer of granitic, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks which form the continents and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores, known as continental shelves. ... About 40% of the Earth’s surface is now underlain by continental crust.
Which is thicker continental crust or oceanic?
Continental crust is typically 40 km (25 miles) thick, while oceanic crust is much thinner , averaging about 6 km (4 miles) in thickness. ... The less-dense continental crust has greater buoyancy, causing it to float much higher in the mantle.
What is an example of oceanic crust?
An example of this is the Gakkel Ridge under the Arctic Ocean . Thicker than average crust is found above plumes as the mantle is hotter and hence it crosses the solidus and melts at a greater depth, creating more melt and a thicker crust. An example of this is Iceland which has crust of thickness ~20 km.
Which type of crust is usually the oldest?
Cratons are the oldest and most stable part of the continental lithosphere. These parts of the continental crust are usually found deep in the interior of most continents.
How is continental crust destroyed?
Continental crust is produced and (far less often) destroyed mostly by plate tectonic processes , especially at convergent plate boundaries. ... Continental crust is also lost through erosion and sediment subduction, tectonic erosion of forearcs, delamination, and deep subduction of continental crust in collision zones.
What do the continental crust and oceanic crust have in common?
Oceanic and Continental crusts are alike because they both shift and move and grow. They differ by there rock types. Oceanic crust is made up of dense basalt while continental crust is made up of less dense granite.
What are the 2 kinds of crust differentiate them?
Earth’s crust is divided into two types: oceanic crust and continental crust . The transition zone between these two types of crust is sometimes called the Conrad discontinuity. Silicates (mostly compounds made of silicon and oxygen) are the most abundant rocks and minerals in both oceanic and continental crust.
How is the continental crust different from the oceanic crust Class 7?
Oceanic crust differs from continental crust in several ways: it is thinner, denser, younger, and of different chemical composition . Like continental crust, however, oceanic crust is destroyed in subduction zones. The lavas are generally of two types: pillow lavas and sheet flows.
What layer contains both oceanic and continental features?
Tectonic activity can shape the lithosphere itself: Both oceanic and continental lithospheres are thinnest at rift valleys and ocean ridges, where tectonic plates are shifting apart from one another. The cool, brittle lithosphere is just one of five great “spheres” that shape the environment of Earth.
What is the average age of continental crust?
On the basis of Nd model age provinces in North America and Australia an average age of continental crust is about 2.0 Ga .
What is the age of continental crust?
The oldest oceanic crust is about 260 million years old. This sounds old but is actually very young compared to the oldest continental rocks, which are 4 billion years old .
