The Sea Floor
The earth's crust is the outer lighter portion of the continental crust. The crust beneath the ocean iscomosed of heavy, dark volcanic rock. The continental crust is composed mostly of lighter rocks rich in silica such as granite.
The moving portion of Earth's crust and upper mantle is known as the lithosphere. It is broken into tectonic plates that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere below, causing them to move and interact with each other, which leads to processes like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building.
The Earths crust is about 6miles thick and it covers the entire earth even at the bottom of oceans. The crust is only the beginning of the Earth and underneath is the mantle, outer layer and inner core.
crust
over 7 miles
The earth's crust is the outer lighter portion of the continental crust. The crust beneath the ocean iscomosed of heavy, dark volcanic rock. The continental crust is composed mostly of lighter rocks rich in silica such as granite.
The moving portion of Earth's crust and upper mantle is known as the lithosphere. It is broken into tectonic plates that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere below, causing them to move and interact with each other, which leads to processes like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building.
earths crust includes ocean floors and
The Earths crust is about 6miles thick and it covers the entire earth even at the bottom of oceans. The crust is only the beginning of the Earth and underneath is the mantle, outer layer and inner core.
Continental shelf.
Continental shelf.
crust
Because the oldest parts reach the continental crust and then the ocean floor sinks beneath the continental crust, into the mantle.
over 7 miles
The underlying rock beneath the ocean floor is primarily basalt, which is a mafic rock rich in iron and magnesium. Silica-rich rocks like granite are typically found in continental crust, not beneath the ocean floor.
The Earth's crust varies in thickness, but on average it is about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) deep beneath the continents and about 5-10 kilometers (3-6 miles) deep beneath the ocean floor.
Old ocean floor is destroyed and absorbed by the Earth at subduction zones, where tectonic plates collide and one plate is forced beneath the other. The remelting occurs beneath volcanic arcs, where the subducted crust melts and rises to the surface as magma, leading to the formation of new crust.