GEOL 114 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Oceanic Crust, Continental Crust, Mid-Ocean Ridge
Document Summary
Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust, which is why it is covered with water. We can define where the continental crust ends and oceanic crust begins based on the transition between the shallow continental shelf changes into a steep continental slope. Beyond this is where the oceanic floor begins. Abyssal plains: large, flat areas of the oceanic floor that begin after the steep continental slope. They extend for thousands of kilometers, and in the center of the atlantic reach a point called the oceanic ridge. Mid ocean ridges: continuous chains of mountains in the oceanic crust. Mapped out during war times for submarines to use as defensive purposes. Only three place in the world where these ridges meet the continental crust: Gulf of california, east africa, and northeastern siberia. Small and shallow earthquakes are known to occur within these ridges, but not in abyssal plains or sloping portions of the ridges.
