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Mohorovičić discontinuity identification and geology

The boundary between the Earth's crust and the underlying mantle, identified by a sharp increase in seismic wave velocities. Compressional wave P-wave velocities increase from approximately 6–7 km/s in the lower crust to 8+ km/s in the upper mantle. The Moho lies at approximately 5–10 km depth beneath oceans and 30–70 km beneath continents. It was discovered in 1909 by Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić. Field: structural geology. Example: Deep seismic reflection surveys in the Canadian Cordillera have imaged the Moho at approximately 35 km depth, revealing that the crust thins westward from the Rocky Mountains toward the Pacific coast.. Related terms: Crust, Mantle, Seismic velocity, Discontinuity.

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Sources, scope & corrections

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Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:42.055955+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.

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Common questions

What does Mohorovičić discontinuity mean in geology?
The boundary between the Earth's crust and the underlying mantle, identified by a sharp increase in seismic wave velocities. Compressional wave P-wave velocities increase from approximately 6–7 km/s in the lower crust to 8+ km/s in the upper mantle. The Moho lies at approximately 5–10 km depth beneath oceans and 30–70 km beneath continents. It was discovered in 1909 by Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić.
What is an example of Mohorovičić discontinuity?
Deep seismic reflection surveys in the Canadian Cordillera have imaged the Moho at approximately 35 km depth, revealing that the crust thins westward from the Rocky Mountains toward the Pacific coast.
Which earth-science field uses the term Mohorovičić discontinuity?
Mohorovičić discontinuity is used in structural geology.
Which terms are related to Mohorovičić discontinuity?
Related terms in this reference are Crust, Mantle, Seismic velocity, Discontinuity.

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