Mohorovičić discontinuity
or Mo·ho
[moh-haw-roh-vuh-chich, -hoh- or moh-hoh]
- 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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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. 2018
Mohorovičić discontinuity
- 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
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Word Origin
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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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).
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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