Answered

At Westonci.ca, we connect you with experts who provide detailed answers to your most pressing questions. Start exploring now! Connect with a community of experts ready to provide precise solutions to your questions quickly and accurately. Join our platform to connect with experts ready to provide precise answers to your questions in different areas.

what is the difference between an oceanic crust and oceanic plate? & what is the difference between a continental crust and a continental plate? my teacher keeps using them referring to the same thing and i get confused?

Sagot :

Answer:

The magma that melts in the upper mantle and erupts at the mid-ocean ridge has a different composition (higher in Ca, Mg, Fe and relatively lower in Si and Al) than the composition of the magma (more Si, Al, Na, K rich in relative terms) that built the continents. Melting different degrees (2%, 5%, 30%) of a rock with a mantle-like composition generates magma of different Al, Si contents. Continents grow at their edges by partial melting of oceanic crust that is being subducted, generating magmas of a somewhat more Si, Al-rich composition than the subducting slab itself. The chemistry and physics of melting a mixture of minerals rather than one homogeneous substance has the wonderful outcome of creating two distinct types of crust: