E. Crust - the very thin, brittle, outer shell of the earth. It is affixed to the lithospheric plates that comprise the uppermost mantle, so it is also broken into pieces, or plates. Made of iron and magnesium-rich silicate minerals, like basalt . Oceanic crust underlies all the major ocean basins. Made of less dense silicate minerals with lots of aluminum, calcium, potassium, like granite .
Continental crust is the geologic stuff of landmasses.
Outer layer of earth's upper mantle and crust broken into lithospheric plates, like sutures in a skull. Some plates are moving apart, some are colliding. Relief and Landforms A. Relief - difference in elevation between high and low points in a region. Can determine relief at different scales 1. Local - within a watershed from ridge top to valley bottom 2.