The thinner, more dense, younger crust forming the ocean floor is known as the ...

The thinner, more dense, younger crust forming the ocean floor is known as the ...

• A. Continental Crust
• B. Oceanic Crust
• C. Mantle
• D. Outer Core

Answer: (B)

Understanding the differences between oceanic crust and continental crust helps explain why the ocean floor is made of a thinner, denser, younger type of crust. Oceanic crust is thinner and much denser than continental crust because it’s composed primarily of basalt. It’s also younger on average because new crust forms at mid-ocean ridges from upwelling magma and is recycled back into the mantle at subduction zones, keeping the oceanic crust relatively young overall. The mantle lies beneath the crust, and the outer core is far below as a separate layer, not part of the crust. So the description points to oceanic crust.

Understanding the differences between oceanic crust and continental crust helps explain why the ocean floor is made of a thinner, denser, younger type of crust. Oceanic crust is thinner and much denser than continental crust because it’s composed primarily of basalt. It’s also younger on average because new crust forms at mid-ocean ridges from upwelling magma and is recycled back into the mantle at subduction zones, keeping the oceanic crust relatively young overall. The mantle lies beneath the crust, and the outer core is far below as a separate layer, not part of the crust. So the description points to oceanic crust.