Why Does Granite Made Up Continents

Continental crust the outermost layer of earth s lithosphere that makes up the planet s continents and continental shelves and is formed near subduction zones at plate boundaries between continental and oceanic tectonic plates.

Why does granite made up continents.

The continents have grown by the process of accretion of smaller continental masses. The other rocky planets mercury venus and mars are covered with basalt as is the ocean floor of earth but only earth has this beautiful and interesting rock type in abundance. As it turns out most of the ocean floor is basalt and most of the continents are granite. These minerals and their variation in abundance and alteration give granite the numerous colors and textures we see in granite countertops.

The area of the ocean is more than double the area of all the continents combined. Basaltic crust is dark and thin and heavy while granite is light and accumulates. Granite forms when the continental rocks melt a process that occurs from high heat and the addition of volatiles water and or carbon dioxide. The continental crust forms nearly all of earth s land surface.

The continental plate is less dense thick and make up the continents. It wants to be there and heat is the key which unlocks the door. The ocean covers almost three fourths of earth. The first continental crust is thought to have accumulated by the magmatic differentiation of basaltic magma to create mini continents which were subsequently me.

What rocks make up the continent floor. Granite is an igneous rock made up of primarily quartz feldspar micas amphiboles and a mixture of additional trace minerals. They heat up their surroundings through radioactive decay. The older basaltic rocks that formed on the earth before granite first developed were to easily weathered by the ocean to form permanent continents.

A craton ˈ k r eɪ t ɒ n ˈ k r æ t ɒ n or ˈ k r eɪ t ən. Granite is the signature rock of the continents. κράτος kratos strength is an old and stable part of the continental lithosphere which consists of the earth s two topmost layers the crust and the uppermost mantle having often survived cycles of merging and rifting of continents cratons are generally found in the interiors of tectonic. The trick is to heat the basalt back up again so it can melt and give the iron another shot at the core.

Continents are hot because they are where the majority of our planet s uranium and potassium exist. Continents make up most but not all of earth s land surface. A very small portion of the total land area is made up of islands that are not considered physical parts of continents.