The oldest crust on Earth is generally located along the edges of the continents. As new crust is created at mid-ocean ridges, the older crust moves away from the ridges and eventually becomes attached to the continental landmasses, making the edges of the continents generally contain the oldest crust compared to areas of active magma creation at mid-ocean ridges.
Mid-ocean ridges (the red areas in the image below), include the most extensive chain of mountains and volcanoes on Earth. Ninety percent of it is underwater in the deep oceans and stretches 40,000 miles. Mid-ocean ridges occur along divergent plate boundaries, where new ocean crust is created as Earth's tectonic plates spread apart. As the plates separate, magma comes up from the mantle through the cracks and cools to form mountains and volcanoes. Look at the time scale under the image. The red areas represent the mid-ocean ridges and are the areas on Earth where the youngest crust is located because it was created 0 millions of years ago -- in other words, it is being created now. Based on the time scale and the map, where is the oldest crust on Earth? Look carefully!
(1 point)
Responses
Beside the mid-ocean ridges
Beside the mid-ocean ridges
Along the edges of the continents
Along the edges of the continents
At the North and South Poles
At the North and South Poles
In the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Africa
1 answer