oceanic crust
Basaltic marine bedrock
Oceanic crust is the relatively thin layer of rock forming the floor of the oceans, distinct from the thicker continental crust that underlies landmasses.
Composed mainly of basalt, oceanic crust is denser and younger than continental crust—constantly created at mid-ocean ridges and destroyed at subduction zones.
The oceanic crust beneath the Pacific is being pushed under the North American plate.
- plate tectonicsEarth's crust mobility theory
- ring of firePacific seismic belt
- basaltFine-grained volcanic stone
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
- gabbroDark intrusive igneous rock
volcanic glass · lithosphere · hotspot volcanism · pyroxene · olivine · magma chamber · black smokers · magnetic stripes · thickness · deep-sea drilling · tectonic plates · trenches · seafloor · density · plates · lava · molten · rift