Mohorovičić discontinuity

[ moh-haw-roh-vuh-chich dis-kon-tn-oo-i-tee, -yoo-; -hoh- ]

noun

, Geology.

1. 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.

Mohorovičić discontinuity

/ ˌməʊhəˈrəʊvɪtʃɪtʃ /

noun

1. the boundary between the earth's crust and mantle, across which there is a sudden change in the velocity of seismic waves Often shortened toMoho

Mohorovičić discontinuity

/ mō′hə-rō′və-chĭch /

1. 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).

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mohorovičić discontinuity¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mohorovičić discontinuity¹

C20: named after Andrija Mohorovičić (1857–1936), Croatian geologist