What is the approximate age difference between the oldest known oceanic crust and continental crust?
Answer
Continental crust dates back over 4 billion years, while oceanic crust is only about 200 million years old.
Oceanic crust is constantly recycled back into the mantle, making its oldest known sections only about 200 million years old, unlike continental crust which retains records dating back over 4 billion years.
Related Questions
What is the precise geometric shape of Planet Earth?Approximately how long ago did the story of Earth begin?What event is the leading hypothesis for the origin of Earth's Moon?What distinction regarding mass and composition does Earth hold in the Solar System?What geological process powers Earth’s magnetic field?What is the approximate age difference between the oldest known oceanic crust and continental crust?Which two elements constitute the overwhelming majority of Earth's atmosphere?What primary protective function is attributed to the ozone layer found in the stratosphere?What is the direct cause of the Earth's seasons?How long does a single rotation of Earth on its axis (a solar day) take?What is the physical state and primary composition of Earth's inner core?What layer do Earth's massive tectonic plates float upon?