Continental crust is found on the continents and is typically thicker than oceanic crust. It is made up of a variety of rocks, including granite, sandstone, and limestone. Continental crust is less dense than oceanic crust and floats on the mantle, the layer of rock beneath the crust.
Oceanic crust is found on the ocean floor and is typically thinner than continental crust. It is made up of basalt, a dark, fine-grained rock. Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust and sinks beneath it at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate moves beneath another.
The boundary between continental and oceanic crust is often marked by a continental shelf, a gently sloping area of land that extends from the shoreline to the edge of the continental slope. The continental slope is a steep, downward-sloping area of land that leads to the ocean floor.
Continental and oceanic crust are both important parts of the Earth's crust and play a role in the planet's geology and evolution.
