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Earth's crust – Earth's outer shell of rock Continental crust – Layer of rock that forms the continents and continental shelves; Oceanic crust – Uppermost layer of the oceanic portion of a tectonic plate; Earth's mantle – A layer of silicate rock between Earth's crust and its outer core
The thickness of Earth's crust (km). The continental crust consists of various layers, with a bulk composition that is intermediate (SiO 2 wt% = 60.6). [5] The average density of the continental crust is about, 2.83 g/cm 3 (0.102 lb/cu in), [6] less dense than the ultramafic material that makes up the mantle, which has a density of around 3.3 g/cm 3 (0.12 lb/cu in).
The estimated average density of the continental crust is 2.835 g/cm 3, with density increasing with depth from an average of 2.66 g/cm 3 in the uppermost crust to 3.1 g/cm 3 at the base of the crust. [13] In contrast to the continental crust, the oceanic crust is composed predominantly of pillow lava and sheeted dikes with the composition of ...
The thin parts are the oceanic crust, which underlies the ocean basins (5–10 km) and is mafic-rich [9] (dense iron-magnesium silicate mineral or igneous rock). [10] The thicker crust is the continental crust, which is less dense [11] and is felsic-rich (igneous rocks rich in elements that form feldspar and quartz). [12] The rocks of the crust ...
Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust because it has less silicon and more of the heavier elements than continental crust. [11] [12] As a result of this density difference, oceanic crust generally lies below sea level, while continental crust buoyantly projects above sea level. Average oceanic lithosphere is typically 100 km (62 mi ...
Continental and oceanic crust on the Earth's upper mantle. Oceanic crust is the uppermost layer of the oceanic portion of the tectonic plates. It is composed of the upper oceanic crust, with pillow lavas and a dike complex, and the lower oceanic crust, composed of troctolite, gabbro and ultramafic cumulates.
The internal structure of Earth. In geology, the crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite.It is usually distinguished from the underlying mantle by its chemical makeup; however, in the case of icy satellites, it may be defined based on its phase (solid crust vs. liquid mantle).
The continental crust on the downgoing plate is deeply subducted as part of the downgoing plate during collision, defined as buoyant crust entering a subduction zone. An unknown proportion of subducted continental crust returns to the surface as ultra-high pressure (UHP) metamorphic terranes, which contain metamorphic coesite and/or diamond plus or minus unusual silicon-rich garnets and/or ...