Abstract: It is well known that the solid Earth is wholly covered by a thin rock layer called the crust. The Earth’s crust is made up of two parts. One is oceanic crust and the other is continental crust. Oceanic crust occupies about 60% and continental crust occupies the remaining 40% of the solid Earth’s surface. Oceanic crust is generally believed to form at oceanic ridges by cooling and solidification of basaltic magma that forms from mantle convection. However, the origin of continental crust has not yet been clearly elucidated. Today, most researchers have come to think that continental crust has been separated from the mantle throughout the Earth’s history. However, there remains a wide range of opinions on the processes of its formation.
Publication Year: 2011
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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