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What is the main reason why the age of oldest rocks can vary from one part of a continent to another?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Many lands were underwater when others were rising from the sea. Islands and lands begin underwater and some lands are more recent. For example, the coast of Australia's rocks are younger than the rocks in the centre of Australia.
all continets used to be conected called Pangaea so on the edge of one continet there may be something of the same on the opposite or parallel continet look at a picture of south America and i think Asia or Russia and there will be a tiny space where it seems they used to be conected
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoDifferent rocks are created at different times throughout history and weren't made all at the same time.
Igneous rocks: created by freezing of magma (liquid rock under the surface). Throughout time, many volcanoes have formed and died, and have erupted over varying intervals. Magma below the surface cools and solidifies throughout time also. Some igneous rocks are really really old (millions of years) and some are young.
Sedimentary rocks: caused by solidifying ("lithification") of sediments (broken up bits of rock), precipitation of chemicals and solidification of dead sea animals shells as well as plants. Over time as different continents have formed and joined up to others, oceans have opened and closed. Sediment and sand at bottom of the ocean builds up and turns to rock. Over time, the rocks at the bottom of the pile are older than the ones on the top. This process takes millions of years.
Metamorphic: Rocks caused by intense heat and pressure below the surface. As with igneous rocks, different heat and pressure causes rocks to be made.
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The oldest rocks are located at mid-ocean ridges?
Nope. The oldest rocks are located on continents, usually away from the ocean. The mid-ocean ridges are, in fact, home of some of the youngest rocks. The reason for this is what is called sea-floor spreading. Mid-ocean ridges form at places where oceanic plates diverge, or move apart. As this happens, magma rises from within the Earth to fill the gap. The magma cools and solidifies, creating new seafloor. This process continues as the plates continue to spread apart.
What part of the sedimentary of rock is the oldest?
Protolith is a term used to describe the parent rock of a metamorphic rock. Conglomerate is a sedimentary rock that can be composed of clasts of sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic rocks, or any number of combinations of all.
Why are the oldest rocks found in Iceland?
Actually Iceland contains a very young rock landscape, with the oldest rocks dating back 14-16 million years ago. Some of the oldest rocks on earth are found in Greenland, dating back about 3.9 billion years.
Are the oldest rocks on Earth in the Grand Canyon?
Not hardly. The oldest rocks at the bottom of the Grand Canyon are around 2 billion years old. The oldest rock discovered on Earth of terrestrial origin is around 4.28 billion years old.
Is layers of rock near the surface are the oldest rocks?
false
What is oldest and most stable part of a continent?
The oldest and most stable part of a continent is a craton, found in tectonic plates in the Earth's lithosphere. Cratons are made up of crystalline basement rocks, have a thick crust and are deeply rooted in the Earth's mantle.
What is the oldest and most stable part of the continent?
The oldest and most stable part of a continent is a craton, found in tectonic plates in the Earth's lithosphere. Cratons are made up of crystalline basement rocks, have a thick crust and are deeply rooted in the Earth's mantle.
Are the oldest rocks on land or in the ocean?
The oldest rocks are found on land.
What is the most oldest and most stable part of a continent?
The oldest and most stable part of a continent is a craton, found in tectonic plates in the Earth's lithosphere. Cratons are made up of crystalline basement rocks, have a thick crust and are deeply rooted in the Earth's mantle.
The oldest rocks on the seafloor are much younger than the oldest rocks on the continents?
true
How do the ages of the oldest sediments compare to the ages of the oldest continental rocks?
The oldest continental plate rocks will always be older than the oldest sedimentary deposits.
What happens to the oldest rocks on the ocean floor to continue the rock cycle?
Or they get subducted and re-enter the mantle or they get obducted onto continent (the latter being called an ophiolite).
When looking at rocks where do you generally find the oldest rocks?
in india
What are the rocks of North America?
The rocks of North America are those rocks from which the continent is formed.
Where are the oldest rocks in the ocean crust?
The oldest rocks are actually on land but in the ocean crust they would be the rocks closest to land. The mid-ocean ridge forms new rocks. They are usually located in the middle of the ocean.
Where are the oldest rocks on Earth found?
the oldest rocks on earth can be found in Greenland. They ar epreserved because they are always covered with a thin laye of ice.
When on a geologic column the oldest rocks are located where?
The oldest are located at the bottom of an undisturbed column.
