Definition:
That type of the Earth's crust which underlies the continents and the continental shelves; it is equivalent to the sial and continental sima and ranges in thickness from about 25 km to more than 70 km under mountain ranges, averaging ~40 km. The density of the continental crust averages ~2.8 g/cm3 and is ~2.7 g.cm3 in the upper layer. The velocities of compressional seismic waves through it average ~6.5 km/s and are less than ~7.0 km/sec.
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