The oldest oceanic crust is slightly less than ____ years old.
A) 300,000
B) 4.6 billion
C) 70,000
D) 180 million
E) 3.96 billion

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The oldest oceanic crust is slightly less than 180 million years old. This is due to the process of seafloor spreading, where new oceanic crust is formed at mid-ocean ridges and gradually moves away from the ridge, eventually being subducted back into the mantle at a convergent plate boundary. The rate of seafloor spreading has been relatively constant throughout Earth's history, leading to the maximum age of oceanic crust being around 180 million years old.

The Oldest Oceanic Crust Is Slightly Less Than ____ Years