Is oceanic crust heavy or light?
Oceanic crust is heavier. The Fe-Mg content of these minerals leads to high density these minerals. Hence, the oceanic crust with high mafic content is heavier. On the contrary, continental crust is lighter because of its felsic composition.Click to see full answer. Likewise, people ask, is oceanic or continental crust lighter?Both oceanic crust and continental…
Oceanic crust is heavier. The Fe-Mg content of these minerals leads to high density these minerals. Hence, the oceanic crust with high mafic content is heavier. On the contrary, continental crust is lighter because of its felsic composition.Click to see full answer. Likewise, people ask, is oceanic or continental crust lighter?Both oceanic crust and continental crust are less dense than the mantle, but oceanic crust is denser than continental crust. As a result, the rock that forms from that melt is less dense than the original rock. If you then partially melt that rock, you get a rock that is even lighter.Similarly, what percent of Earth’s crust is oceanic? 70 percent Similarly, it is asked, why is oceanic crust so dense and heavy? Oceanic crust is denser, so it is subducted (see above) under the continental crust. The less dense magma rises up through the continental crust, further increasing the size of the continental crust and maintaining its lower density than the oceanic crust, which causes subduction.Why is the earth’s crust thinner in the ocean?The oceanic crust is formed at the mid-oceanic ridges as mantle heat forces rock to the surface. As the mantle pushes up, this crustal rock cools at a fairly uniform rate/thickness of about 7km.
