Mohorovičić discontinuity
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
1- Also Mo·ho [moh-hoh] /ˈmoʊ hoʊ/ .
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. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for Mohorovičić discontinuity
/ (ˌməʊhəˈrəʊvɪtʃɪtʃ) /
the boundary between the earth's crust and mantle, across which there is a sudden change in the velocity of seismic waves: Often shortened to: Moho
Origin of Mohorovičić discontinuity
1Collins 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
[ 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.
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