geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

, sima () is an antiquated blended term for the lower layer of

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

's crust. This layer is made of rocks rich in

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...

silicate mineral Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, silica (silicon dioxide, ) is usually consid ...

s. Typically, when the sima comes to the surface, it is

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

, so sometimes this layer is called the 'ocean layer' of the crust. The sima layer is also called the 'basal crust' or 'basal layer' because it is the lowest layer of the crust. Because the ocean floors are mainly sima, it is also sometimes called the '

oceanic crust Oceanic crust is the uppermost layer of the oceanic portion of the tectonic plates. It is composed of the upper oceanic crust, with pillow lavas and a dike complex, and the lower oceanic crust, composed of troctolite, gabbro and ultramafic ...

'. The name 'sima' was taken from the first two letters of

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is ...

and of magnesia. Comparable is the name '

sial In geology, the term sial refers to the composition of the upper layer of Earth's crust, namely rocks rich in aluminium silicate minerals. It is sometimes equated with the continental crust because it is absent in the wide oceanic basins, but ...

', which is the name for the upper layer of Earth's crust (

continental crust Continental crust is the layer of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks that forms the geological continents and the areas of shallow seabed close to their shores, known as continental shelves. This layer is sometimes called '' sial'' be ...

Petrology

The sima has a higher density (2800 to 3300 kg/m³) than the sial, which is due to larger amounts of iron and magnesium, and smaller amounts of aluminium. When the denser sima comes to the surface it forms

mafic A mafic mineral or rock is a silicate mineral or igneous rock rich in magnesium and iron. Most mafic minerals are dark in color, and common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Common mafic rocks incl ...

rocks, or rocks with mafic minerals. The most dense sima has less silica and forms ultramafic rocks.

References

{{reflist * Bates, R.L., and Jackson, J.A., (1987) ''Glossary of geology'' American Geological Institute, Alexandria, Virginia. * Cottingham, Kenneth. “The Geologist's Vocabulary.” The Scientific Monthly, vol. 72, no. 3, 1951, pp. 154–163. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/20222. Accessed 19 June 2020. * Dilek, Y. and Newcomb, S. (eds.) (2003) ''Ophiolite Concept and the Evolution of Geological Thought'' Geological Society of America Special Paper 373, Boulder, Colorado. Petrology Structure of the Earth Earth's crust

Petrology

See also

References