Mohorovičić discontinuity
or Mo·ho
[ moh-haw-roh-vuh-chich, -hoh- or moh-hoh ]
/ ˌmoʊ hɔˈroʊ və tʃɪtʃ, -hoʊ- or ˈmoʊ hoʊ /
noun Geology.
the discontinuity between the crust and the mantle of the earth, occurring at depths that average about 22 miles (35 km) beneath the continents and about 6 miles (10 km) beneath the ocean floor.
QUIZZES
IT’S A WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ BONANZA!
This windfall of words will make you rich with knowledge. Mine your memory on the words from July 27 to August 2!
Question 1 of 7
What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOrigin of Mohorovičić discontinuity
1935–40; named after Andrija Mohorovičić (1857–1936), Croatian geophysicist, who discovered it
Words nearby Mohorovičić discontinuity
Mohism, Moho, Mohock, Mohole, Moholy-Nagy, Mohorovičić discontinuity, Mohr's circle, Mohs scale, mohua, mohur, mohwa
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for Mohorovičić discontinuity
Mohorovičić discontinuity
/ (ˌməʊhəˈrəʊvɪtʃɪtʃ) /
noun
the boundary between the earth's crust and mantle, across which there is a sudden change in the velocity of seismic wavesOften shortened to: Moho
Word Origin for Mohorovičić discontinuity
C20: named after Andrija Mohorovičić (1857–1936), Croatian geologist
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for Mohorovičić discontinuity
Mohorovičić discontinuity
[ mō′hə-rō′və-chĭch ]
The boundary between the Earth's crust and mantle, located at an average depth of 8 km (5 mi) under the oceans and 32 km (20 mi) under the continents. The velocity of seismic primary waves across this boundary changes abruptly from 6.7 to 7.2 km (4.1 to 4.5 mi) per second in the lower crust to 7.6 to 8.6 km (4.7 to 5.3 mi) per second in the upper mantle. The boundary is estimated to be between 0.2 and 3 km (0.1 and 1.9 mi) thick and is believed to coincide with a change in rock type from basalts (above) to peridotites and dunites (below). It is named after its discoverer, Croatian seismologist Andrija Mohorovičić (1857-1936).
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.