Why is oceanic crust thinner than continental crust?

[SeannyBoi71]

Hi, I am doing a geophysics assignment and had some confusion. Basically I want to know why oceanic crust is so much thinner than continental crust. My friend has told me it's because there is less weight on top of it because the ocean water is not very dense, causing the mantle to rise up higher in that area. Doesn't seem right to me. Can someone please clarify?

 

[Evo]

Hi, I am doing a geophysics assignment and had some confusion. Basically I want to know why oceanic crust is so much thinner than continental crust. My friend has told me it's because there is less weight on top of it because the ocean water is not very dense, causing the mantle to rise up higher in that area. Doesn't seem right to me. Can someone please clarify?

Your friend is wrong. What does your textbook say about the crust? What research have you done and what have you found?

I just googled it and got the answers in less than .05 seconds. Try doing a search and if you still have specific questions, please ask. It's always good to look first yourself.

 

[Ophiolite]

Questions you might wish to ask yourself would include:
how do the compositions of oceanic and continental crust differ
how do the ages of the two differ
how do the formation mechanisms of the two differ
what does my forum name mean

 

[phinds]

... I just googled it and got the answers in less than .05 seconds ...

Oh, Evo, there you go again expecting people to actually do at least some trivial amount of research THEMSELVES before asking questions here. SUCH high expectations for today's youth.