Why Continents Haven’t Sunk Into Lava Yet

It’s wild to think about, but the continents haven’t sunk into lava because of how Earth’s crust works. The crust, which includes the continents, is like a giant jigsaw puzzle of solid plates floating on a gooey layer called the mantle. Even though the mantle is hot and partly molten, it’s dense enough to keep the crust floating instead of letting it sink. Plus, continents are made of lighter, less dense rock compared to the heavier ocean floors, so they naturally stay on top. Earth’s tectonic plates might shift and collide, but they’re surprisingly...