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0-11-4.922-11-11s4.922-11 11-11 11 4.922 11 11c0 2.219-0.672 4.406-1.937 6.234l5.359 5.359c0.359 0.359 0.578 0.875 0.578 1.406z"></path> </svg></span></span> </button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></header> <div id="inner-wrap" class="wrap kt-clear"> <div id="primary" class="content-area"> <div class="content-container site-container"> <main id="main" class="site-main" role="main"> <div class="content-wrap"> <article id="post-265" class="entry content-bg single-entry post-265 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-inside-earth tag-feature mv-content-wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header post-title title-align-center title-tablet-align-center title-mobile-align-inherit"> <div class="kadence-breadcrumbs yoast-bc-wrap"><span><span><a href="https://earthhow.com/">Home</a></span> 禄 <span><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/geology/">Geology</a></span> 禄 <span><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/geology/inside-earth/">Inside Earth</a></span> 禄 <span class="breadcrumb_last" aria-current="page">Earth Crust: Oceanic Crust vs Continental Crust</span></span></div><h1 class="entry-title">Earth Crust: Oceanic Crust vs Continental Crust</h1><div class="entry-meta entry-meta-divider-customicon"></div></header> <div class="entry-content single-content"> <figure class="wp-block-kadence-image kb-image265_7cdb63-c3 size-top_feature is-style-default"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="678" height="378" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-678x378.png" alt="earth crust continental oceanic" class="kb-img wp-image-285"/></figure> <div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <p>Earth’s crust is all around us.</p> <p>Actually, it’s the layer we live on.</p> <p>But did you know that Earth鈥檚 crust is composed of oceanic and continental and oceanic crust?</p> <p>And it turns out that both are very different from each other.</p> <p>But what’s the difference between oceanic and continental crust?</p> <p>Read more to find out.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">How does plate tectonics relate to Earth’s crust?</h3> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="alignright"><a href="https://earthhow.com/divergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/"><img decoding="async" width="300" height="290" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Lithosphere-Age-0-300x290.png" alt="Lithosphere Age" class="wp-image-1719" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Lithosphere-Age-0-300x290.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Lithosphere-Age-0-425x411.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Lithosphere-Age-0.png 427w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></figure></div><p>Hidden beneath Earth’s oceans, underwater volcanoes spew out lava at mid-oceanic ridges (rift valleys). Because <a href="https://earthhow.com/divergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/">divergent plates</a> move apart from each other at mid-oceanic ridges, magma flows upwards from the mantle beneath.</p> <p>When the lava hardens, it becomes dark rock “basalt” and forms new plates. Because divergent plates fill in the gaps with basalt, the oceanic crust turns out to be very young geologically.</p> <p>Over time, the plates grow at the oceanic crust, and older rock is pushed away from mid-oceanic ridges. When young rock forms at mid-oceanic ridges, the older rock beneath the ocean is pushed away. This is why <strong>older rock is further away</strong> from mid-oceanic ridges.</p> <p>But the Earth isn鈥檛 expanding so it gets destroyed at subduction zones at the opposite ends of the plate. At <a href="https://earthhow.com/convergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/">convergent plate boundaries</a>, it pushes rock into the mantle and melts where it sinks down into the mantle.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">How is oceanic crust different from continental crust?</h3> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="alignright"><a href="https://earthhow.com/convergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/"><img decoding="async" width="290" height="300" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mountain-Building-290x300.png" alt="Mountain Building" class="wp-image-1714" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mountain-Building-290x300.png 290w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mountain-Building.png 407w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px"/></a></figure></div><p>Continents do something different from oceanic crust. If you know <a href="https://earthhow.com/density-of-earth/">Earth’s density</a>, they are too buoyant to sink compared to the heavier mantle rocks underneath.</p> <p>This is why continental crust floats on the surface of the mantle. Continental crust also consists of the shallow seabed close to shores called continental shelves.</p> <p>Unlike oceanic crust which has young geological rock, continents contain rocks that are up to 4 billion years old. For example, continents are composed of <a href="https://earthhow.com/rock-cycle/">igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks</a>.</p> <p>Over time, continents bang into each other like a destruction derby. After they collide, they retain scars like mountain ranges. The rocks can be twisted because of their interaction with other continents. As time passes, <a href="https://earthhow.com/mass-wasting/">weathering and erosion</a> can erase landscapes like a giant eraser.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Where is the oldest and youngest rock on Earth?</h3> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-300x225.png" alt="earth crust continental oceanic" class="wp-image-285" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/earth-crust-continental-oceanic-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></figure></div><p>While buoyant continental crust is old geologically, denser oceanic crust is continuously created at mid-oceanic ridges. This means that the youngest rock on Earth is under the oceans.</p> <p>Continents float on the surface of the mantle. In fact, the whole <a href="https://earthhow.com/asthenosphere-facts/">lithosphere sits on the plasticky asthenosphere layer</a> that acts like a fluid.</p> <p>But oceanic crust goes through a cycle of creation at divergent plates and destruction at convergent plates.</p> <p>For example, the boundary along the <a href="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/">African Plate</a> and the <a href="https://earthhow.com/south-american-plate/">South American plate</a> is divergent. This means that this oceanic trench in the Atlantic Ocean has some of the youngest rocks on Earth.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Let’s dig a bit deeper into Earth’s geology</h3> <p>Today, you’ve learned that Earth is covered with both oceanic and continental crust. While oceanic crust is mostly young igneous rocks, continental crust is old and buoyant.</p> <p>Our dynamic planet is a remarkable place. We’re learning new things about it every day.</p> <p>If you want to dig a bit deeper into the geology of Earth, check out our section of <a href="https://earthhow.com/plate-tectonics-types-divergent-convergent-transform-plates/">plate tectonics</a>. Or drop us a comment below.</p></div></div><div class="newsletter1"><span style="color:#FFFFFF">Subscribe to our newsletter:</span> <div class="tnp tnp-subscription-minimal"><form action="https://earthhow.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=tnp&na=s" method="post" style="text-align: center"><input type="hidden" name="nr" value="minimal"> <input type="hidden" name="nlang" value=""> <input class="tnp-email" type="email" required name="ne" value="" placeholder="Email"><input class="tnp-submit" type="submit" value="Subscribe" style=""> </form></div></div><div class="kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id18750_45f50e-c9 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout"><div class="kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top"> <div class="wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f kvs-sm-false kb-section-dir-horizontal"><div class="kt-inside-inner-col"><div class="wp-block-kadence-posts kb-posts kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 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