Mohorovičić discontinuity

or Mo·ho

[moh-haw-roh-vuh-chich, -hoh- or moh-hoh]

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.

Origin of Mohorovičić discontinuity

1935–40; named after Andrija Mohorovičić (1857–1936), Croatian geophysicist, who discovered it

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for mohorovicic discontinuity

Mohorovičić discontinuity

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

mohorovicic discontinuity in Science

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).