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Q: The continents float in the upper mantle due to a form of buoyancy known as?
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What layer of earth forms the continents?

the crust. the layer below that is the layer of molten lava called the mantle. the continental plates move and float on this. this is known as continental drift


What is float?

not iron


What do the 7 plates in the lithosphere float on?

The tectonic plates which form Earth's crust move on top of the outer layer of the mantle. This layer of the mantle is known as the asthenosphere.


On what part of the earth do the crustal plates float?

The Earth's crust, also called the lithosphere, floats on the upper layer of the mantle. This part of the mantle is known as the asthenosphere.


What part of the earth do the crustal plates float?

The Earth's crust, also called the lithosphere, floats on the upper layer of the mantle. This part of the mantle is known as the asthenosphere.


In terms of buoyancy how does a life jacket save your life?

A life jacket is also known as a floatation or buoyancy aid - it acts to increase your buoyancy. So what do we mean by this? Well, buoyancy can be described simply as how easily an object will float in a fluid (or gas), where the more buoyant the object the better it will float. Buoyancy is related to the density of an object which is in turn related to the amount of mass a given object has relative to it's volume. As the density of an object gets larger compared to the density of the fluid it is floating in, its buoyancy will decrease and it will become less able to float. As the density of the object becomes larger than the density of the fluid it is floating in, it will sink. Now that we understand buoyancy, we can explain how a life jacket works. A life jacket is mainly filled with gas which has a very low mass. As such when worn by a person, it acts to significantly increase their volume for only a very small increase in their mass. This means that they have a lower density than normal which increases their buoyancy and helps them to float.


How can the continents float?

Tectonic plates are either oceanic crust and/or continental crust and the upper solid layer of the mantle. The continental crust is composed of felsic (rich in feldspars and silica) rocks and the oceanic crust of mafic (rich in magnesium and iron) rocks. The mantle however is composed of peridotite (which is ultramafic meaning it has very high concentrations of the denser magnesium and iron minerals). As such it is much denser than either the mafic or felsic rocks of the crust and the density increases with increasing depth. The crust and solid upper mantle are known together as the lithosphere as they have similar mechanical properties (behaving as a brittle solid) and are separated into the tectonic plates which effectively float on the underlying asthenosphere which is a denser plastic like zone below them the mantle. Ultimately the "floating" of tectonic plates on the upper mantle is due to the density contrast between the materials composing the lithosphere and asthenosphere.


Why does and inner tube with 3 psi float with a 150 pound person but a rim and tire with 32 psi sink with the weight of a hand?

The answer lies within the physical property known as Buoyancy. This is the same as asking "Why does a steel ship float?"


What layer of the earth are continental plates sliding on?

AnswerIt is caused by the convection currents and the heat transfer of the Earth. it is because the centre of the earth is filled with magma this creates energy and pushes the plates up, this then heats the sea and the plates float


What is obtained by studying earths interior?

The earth's interior is called the core.


What is the earths very top of the mantle combined?

The very top of Earth's mantle is known as the lithosphere. It is a rigid layer that consists of both the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust above it. The lithosphere is broken into tectonic plates that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath it.


Why egg floats in salt water?

Just about anything will float in saltwater, if there is enough salt in the water. The salt content of the Dead Sea is about 31%, and it's very easy for a person to float in. This is because the salt makes the water more dense, and this affects the property known as buoyancy. If the weight of an object is less than the weight of the fluid the object would displace if it were fully submerged, then the object has an average density less than the fluid and has a buoyancy greater than its weight. Make the water denser (heavier) by adding salt, and you increase the likelihood that an object will weigh less than the water it displaces, and will therefore float. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buoyancy#De…