What would happen if the earth's crusts were switched? That is, if the continental crust was made of basalt and the oceanic crust was made of granite.

rocky Juanita Juarez

Dear Juanita:

This is not too likely (it even feels strange for me to type it). Buoyancy is an important consideration. If the oceanic crust was granitic it would be lighter (less dense) and more buoyant than the adjacent continental basaltic crust. The granitic oceanic crust would rise and the basaltic continental crust would sink. Seems, the crust would end up like it is today.

Think about this. Most of our geologic resources are in continental rocks. If your scenario happened it would be technically and economically difficult to find and remove these resources.

Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota 

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