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The continents and ocean floor are unstable because the plates of the lithosphere move. When the plate move, they cause the continents and ocean floor to move.
Dean Turcotte
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe currents of melted rock material generated by differencies in density in the liquid mantle.
The plates of lithosphere that comprise the continents and the ocean floor, literally flow upon the liquid mantle. Thus, the currents mentioned above, tend to provoke the plates to move and lose stability with all the following phenomena (earthquakes, volcanoes, etc).
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoThe continents and ocean floor are unstable because the plates of the lithosphere move. When the plate move, they cause the continents and ocean floor to move.
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Iron rich volcanic rock that makes up much of the ocean floor is?
The volcanic rock that makes up most of the ocean floor is called sediment.
What type igneous rock makes up most of the ocean floor?
Basalt
What are the three different types of convergent plate boundaries?
ocean-ocean ocean-continent continent-continent
The type of collision that occurs when two lithospheric plates converge is determined primarily by plate?
the convergent boundry type is determined by the types of plates. There are Continent - continent plates converging this forms mountains. Then there a Oceanic crust and continental crust colisions which form subduction zones and volcanic activity on the continents side. Lastly there are Ocean - Ocean plate collisions where the hotter and younger ocean floor obducts onto the older floor.
Is the floor near the mid ocean old?
No. The newest ocean floor is at the mid-ocean ridge.
What is the part of the ocean floor nearest the continent?
Continental Shelf.
What feature is being created at the continent and the ocean floor?
Molten meaterial
Which feature of the ocean floor is shallow and close to the edge of the continent?
pie
Means the ocean floor is pulled under the continent?
This occurs in a subduction zone.
What are land from continent's edge to ocean floor?
That area is known as the continental shelf. It is the submerged part of a continent that extends from the shoreline to a point where there is a significant drop-off into the ocean depths. The continental shelf is an important ecosystem that supports diverse marine life and is often exploited for its resources such as oil and gas.
What happens to the old ocean floor as the sea floor spreads?
As the sea floor spreads, the old ocean floor gets pushed out, which makes the plates move.
The point at which the continent stops and the rock of the ocean floor begins is the called the continental?
Slope
The point at which the continent stops and the rock of the ocean floor begins is called the?
Continental Slope
Iron rich volcanic rock that makes up much of the ocean floor is?
The volcanic rock that makes up most of the ocean floor is called sediment.
What continent do the cayman islands belong?
Islands in an ocean don't belong to any continent. If they were part of a continent they wouldn't be islands would they? The African Continent is the continent nearest the Canary Islands, but the islands are the result of volcanic activity on the ocean floor.
What is a transition zone between a ocean basin floor and a continent?
The transition zone between an ocean basin floor and a continent is known as the continental shelf. It is the submerged part of a continent that extends from the shoreline to the continental slope. The continental shelf is characterized by relatively shallow waters and is an area of high biological productivity.
A rock that makes up much of the ocean floor?
basalt
