What is the Mohorovicic Discontinuity and how was it discovered?

Question

Lydia Allen · Accepted Answer

The Mohorovicic Discontinuity is the boundary between the earth's crust and mantle. It was discovered by the refraction of seismic waves passing from one layer to the other.

Andrija Mohorovicic studied the earth quake waves following an earthquake in 1909 and discovered that the waves were refracted at a certain depth beneath the earth's surface. This refractive effect is comparable to the direction change that occurs when light waves travel from the air onto the surface of water. From his observations, Mohorovicic concluded that the earth's structure underwent a sudden change at the location where the seismic waves were refracted. This led to the theory that the earth's interior was divided into the crust and the mantle. The Mohoroviviv Discontinuity, named for Andrija Mohorovicic, who made the discovery of the shift in the earth's structure, is the boundary between the crust and the mantle.

Luca de · Answer

undefined When Andrija Mohorovičić, a Croatian seismologist, analyzed seismic wave velocity at a specific depth below the Earth's surface, he noticed a distinct increase in seismic wave velocity at that depth, indicating a change in composition and density. This discovery led to the understanding that the Earth's crust is distinct from the underlying mantle. This boundary within the Earth's crust is known as the Mohorovičić Discontinuity, or Moho.