Mohorovičić discontinuity
[ moh-haw-roh-vuh-chich dis-kon-tn-oo-i-tee, -yoo-; -hoh- ]
/ ˌmoʊ hɔˈroʊ və tʃɪtʃ ˌdɪs kɒn tnˈu ɪ ti, -ˈyu-; -hoʊ- /
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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.
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Also Mo·ho [moh-hoh] /ˈmoʊ hoʊ/ .
Origin 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. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for Mohorovičić discontinuity
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
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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.