GeoMiner Free earth-science tools

Built by a geologist

Crust identification and geology

The outermost solid layer of the Earth, separated from the underlying mantle by the Mohorovičić discontinuity Moho . Oceanic crust is thin 5–10 km , dense, and basaltic in composition, while continental crust is thick 30–70 km , less dense, and broadly granodioritic. The crust represents less than 1% of Earth's total volume but contains the vast majority of accessible mineral resources. Field: structural geology. Example: The Tibetan Plateau has the thickest continental crust on Earth, reaching approximately 70 km due to the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates.. Related terms: Mantle, Moho, Lithosphere, Oceanic crust.

Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:41.970235+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

Read GeoMiner's editorial methodology or report a content issue.

Common questions

What does Crust mean in geology?
The outermost solid layer of the Earth, separated from the underlying mantle by the Mohorovičić discontinuity Moho . Oceanic crust is thin 5–10 km , dense, and basaltic in composition, while continental crust is thick 30–70 km , less dense, and broadly granodioritic. The crust represents less than 1% of Earth's total volume but contains the vast majority of accessible mineral resources.
What is an example of Crust?
The Tibetan Plateau has the thickest continental crust on Earth, reaching approximately 70 km due to the ongoing collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates.
Which earth-science field uses the term Crust?
Crust is used in structural geology.
Which terms are related to Crust?
Related terms in this reference are Mantle, Moho, Lithosphere, Oceanic crust.

JavaScript is loading the interactive GeoMiner experience. The identification tools provide educational candidates, not laboratory confirmation.