Question

What is the name of the process where the new oceanic crust is formed?

Answer 1

Hint: Here first we will know about crust and then we will discuss the types of crusts and the process where the new oceanic crust is formed.Earth is not a flat surface, but a spherical planet that is made up of various layers. The innermost layer of earth is called Core. It is the hottest part and contains metals in a molten state. While the crust is the outermost layer, there is a middle layer in between this crust and the core which is called the mantle.

Complete answer:
There is no air or water in the core and the mantle and they are too hot for organisms to survive. It is the composition of earth’s crust that is of great importance to the world. The crust of the earth is a very thin layer made of different types of rocks. One can think of it in terms of the skin of an apple as the crust has a mass less than 1% of the total mass of earth.The thickness of the crust is not uniform at all places.

Crust beneath the surface of the land masses is called the continental crust whereas the crust lying beneath the floor of the oceans is called oceanic crust. Continental crust is much thicker and older than oceanic crust. Oceanic crust is formed as a result of decompression melting in the mantle at relatively lower depths below the mid-ocean ridges, as the mantle rises in passive response to plate separation.

Note: Oceanic crust is created as magma upwells to fill the gap between diverging tectonic plates and is consumed in subduction zones.Another name of decompression melting is adiabatic melting of the mantle. During decompression melting, rising of the mantle results in a rapid decrease in pressure.Temperature may remain constant, or even decrease a little. The local geotherm intersects the mantle solidus as the pressure decreases which results in partial melting.