The type of crust found under the continents is continental crust.

Quick Scoop

  • Continents sit on a thick, less dense layer of rock called continental crust.
  • This crust is mostly made of granitic, silica- and aluminum-rich rocks (often called sial), which helps it float higher than denser oceanic crust.
  • Continental crust is much thicker than oceanic crust, averaging about 35–50 km and becoming even thicker beneath huge mountain ranges like the Himalayas.

In short: under every continent, you’re standing on a deep “raft” of buoyant continental crust that lets land rise above the oceans.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.