GEMET
General
Multilingual
Environmental
Thesaurus
Erdkruste
Definition

The outer layers of the Earth's structure, varying between 6 and 48 km in thickness, and comprising all the material above the Mohorovicic Discontinuity (a seismic discontinuity occurring between the crust of the earth and the underlying mantle; the discontinuity occurs at an average depth of 35 km below the continents and at about 10 km below the oceans). The earlier idea of a cool solid skin overlaying a hot molten interior has now been replaced by a concept of a crust composed of two shells: an inner basic unit composed of sima (oceanic crust) and an outer granitic unit composed of sial (continental crust).

Definition is not available for the current language.

Other relations
Scope note

Scope note is not available.

Concept URL: http://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet/concept/2400