Which crust is generally older and less often destroyed?

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Multiple Choice

Which crust is generally older and less often destroyed?

Explanation:
The key idea is how crust is created and recycled at plate boundaries. Oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and is dense, so it gets recycled back into the mantle at subduction zones. This makes it relatively young on average and frequently destroyed. Continental crust, on the other hand, is less dense and more buoyant, so it resists subduction and tends to persist for very long times—some rocks are billions of years old. Because of that, continental crust is generally older and less often destroyed. The inner core and mantle aren’t crust, so they don’t fit the description.

The key idea is how crust is created and recycled at plate boundaries. Oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and is dense, so it gets recycled back into the mantle at subduction zones. This makes it relatively young on average and frequently destroyed. Continental crust, on the other hand, is less dense and more buoyant, so it resists subduction and tends to persist for very long times—some rocks are billions of years old. Because of that, continental crust is generally older and less often destroyed. The inner core and mantle aren’t crust, so they don’t fit the description.

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