answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

The oldest rock is found in the continental crust. The youngest rock is found in the oceanic crust. This is because the ocean floor is recycled every 160 million years or so in the process of plate tectonics.

User Avatar

Wiki User

βˆ™ 15y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

AnswerBot

βˆ™ 4mo ago

The oldest rock is found at the bottom of the ocean because of the process of plate tectonics. New crust is continually created at mid-ocean ridges, pushing older crust away. Over millions of years, the older crust eventually becomes denser and sinks below the newer crust, ending up at the bottom of the ocean.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

βˆ™ 10y ago

Actually if you are looking for old rock, the oceanic crust is a bad place as much older rock is found in continental crust.

This answer is:
User Avatar

User Avatar

Wiki User

βˆ™ 14y ago

older sections of the crust cool to the same degree and achieve the same density.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why is the oldest rock at the bottom of the ocean?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

The rock at the bottom of an undisturbed sequence is?

the oldest rock in the sequence due to the principle of superposition, which states that in an undisturbed rock sequence, the oldest rocks will be at the bottom and the youngest at the top.


On the ocean floor where is the oldest rock?

The oldest rock in oceanic crust is that which is found the greatest distance from a mid-ocean-ridge.


What is the oldest type of rock?

The rock on the way bottom, but not the vein


Which rock layer is the oldest and why?

the bottom one


What is the name for the bottom oldest layer of rock?

The bottom oldest layer of rock is called the "bedrock." It is the solid rock layer beneath soil, sediment, and other loose material.


Would the oldest sedimentary rocks be at the top or the bottom of the cliff?

bottom


Where are the oldest rock layers in a syncline?

on th ebottom


What layer of a rock in a mountain is the oldest?

The layer at the bottom of the mountain is typically the oldest, as rocks are usually deposited in chronological order with the oldest rocks at the bottom and the youngest at the top. This principle is known as the law of superposition.


Where would you expect to find the oldest rock on the oldest floor?

Somewhere at the bottom of the Marianas Trench you would find the oldest rock of the oceanic crust. Somewhere else, however, there are older rocks on the ocean floor--those deposited by icebergs that have broken off of glaciers. Those erratic rocks could be much older than the oldest oceanic crust.


What is the oldest type of rock at the bottom of the grand canyon?

Vishnu Schist


When there are fossils in rock layers which are considered the oldest?

the ones closest to the bottom


Where would I find the oldest rock on the ocean floor?

The oldest rock on the ocean floor can be found in the central parts of the ocean basins, particularly in regions known as abyssal plains. These rocks are generally around 200 million years old or older.