Virtually all the rock types known to man occur in the continental crust. Even meteorites, xenoliths from the mantle, and ophiolites (fragment of former oceanic crust) are constituents of the … Properties and Composition. Other articles where Continental crust is discussed: North America: General considerations: Continental crust is thicker, 22 miles (35 km) on average and less dense than oceanic crust, which accounts for its mean surface elevation of about 3 miles (4.8 km) above that of the ocean floor (Archimedes’ principle). Average composition of tonalites and greywackes from worldwide sampling (Table 3) in comparison with the composition of the continental crust. Continental crust is more complex than oceanic crust…

The continental crust is between 10 km and 70 km thick, depending on the location. The continental crust is also much more variable and structurally very complex.