Question

Why oceanic crust is thinner than continental crust upsc?

Answer 1

oceanic crust is thinner than continental crust as oceanic crust keeps regenerating. it forms at the oceanic ridges or other sources (divergent plate boundaries) and with time it spreads away from the place of origin and becomes thinner away from the place of origin. later this oceanic crust gets subducted in to the mantle (asthenosphere) where it gets melted and the melt or magma again comes up following cracks or divergent plate boundaries and forms oceanic crust.
therefore in this way the cycle continues and oceanic crust keeps on regenerating. :)

on the contrary, being less denser to subduct. continental crust keeps on depositing and do not get regenerated and is thicker than oceanic crust.