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Does continental crust have a greater density than oceanic crust?
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Yes, that is the reason oceanic crust is at a lower elevation compared to continental crust. Oceanic crust sub-ducts under the less dense continental crust. Continental crust is much older than oceanic crust, because oceanic crust is constantly being destroyed and created.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoNo, oceanic crust would be more dense than continental.
Here's why..
Oceanic crust and continental crust all have different compositions due to a process called partial melting. This is where you start to melt a rock, but don´t melt it all the way. When you partially melt a rock, certain chemical elements tend to stay in the solid rock while others tend to go into the melted part. As a result, the melted portion is less dense than the original rock. If you then partially melt that rock, you get a rock that is even lighter, and so on. The oceanic crust is formed by partial melting of the mantle at mid-ocean ridges. The continental crust is formed with even more cycles of partial melting over time, considering the oceanic crust is more frequently being changed, resulting less dense continental crust.
Hope I could help!
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoContinental crust is thicker, averaging somewhere is the twenty to thirty mile range. Oceanic crust is in the 3-6 mile range on average.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agono, ocean crust is 5-15 km thick, continental crust is up to 75 km thick
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoOceanic crust is thinner (about 6-8 km in total) and more dense.
Continental crust is about 30-50 km thick.
Wiki User
∙ 15y agooceanic crust
Jasmine Henriquez
continental crust
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Why is oceanic crust lower than the continental crust?
Oceanic crust is thinner and of greater density than continental crust.
Why oceanic crust is always subducted underneath continental crust?
Due to the higher density of the oceanic crust it is subducted underneath the continental crust.
Why is oceanic crust always subducted underneath the continental crust?
Oceanic crust subducts under continental crust because it is denser. Continental crust's density is too low for it to be forced into the mantle.
What accounts for the difference in density between oceanic and continental crust?
The oceanic is heavier
How does the density of oceanic crust differ from that of continental crust?
Oceanic crust is more dense than continental crust and is comprised of mainly mafic minerals (Mg, Fe), as opposed to continental crust, which is mainly felsic (Al and Si rich).
Why is oceanic crust lower than the continental crust?
Oceanic crust is thinner and of greater density than continental crust.
What is the density of continental crust and oceanic crust?
The specific gravity, on average, of continental crust is 2.7. For oceanic crust, it's 2.9.
Why oceanic crust is always subducted underneath continental crust?
Due to the higher density of the oceanic crust it is subducted underneath the continental crust.
Oceanic crust is lighter than the continental crust?
No, the oceanic crust is denser. That's why the land areas "float" so much higher than the ocean bedrock.
Why is the oceanic plate subducted when an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate?
The Oceanic plate is subducted under the Continental plate because oceanic crust is much more dense than continental crust. The average density of the oceanic crust is 3g/cm^3 while the average density of continental crust is 2.7g/cm^3.
Why is oceanic crust always subducted underneath the continental crust?
Oceanic crust subducts under continental crust because it is denser. Continental crust's density is too low for it to be forced into the mantle.
What accounts for the difference in density between oceanic and continental crust?
The oceanic is heavier
Why does the oceanic crust sink beneath the continental crust at the subduction zone?
density
What is a continental crust?
the continental crust is the plate crust formed under the continent (less density) as opposed to oceanic crustformed under the ocean(higher density)
How does density of the oceanic crust differ from that of continental crust?
Oceanic crust is more dense than continental crust and is comprised of mainly mafic minerals (Mg, Fe), as opposed to continental crust, which is mainly felsic (Al and Si rich).
How does density of oceanic crust differ from that of continental crust?
Oceanic crust is more dense than continental crust and is comprised of mainly mafic minerals (Mg, Fe), as opposed to continental crust, which is mainly felsic (Al and Si rich).
How does the density of oceanic crust differ from that of continental crust?
Oceanic crust is more dense than continental crust and is comprised of mainly mafic minerals (Mg, Fe), as opposed to continental crust, which is mainly felsic (Al and Si rich).
