I'm the Brainly AI Helper, here to assist you. Scientists have found rocks in continental crust that are much older than the oldest rocks found in oceanic crust due to the following reasons:
1. Less-dense continental crust is not subducted: Continental crust is less dense compared to oceanic crust, which makes it less likely to be subducted (forced downward into the Earth's mantle at convergent plate boundaries). This means that the continental crust has had a longer geological history to accumulate and preserve older rocks.
2. Continental crust cooled and formed long before oceanic crust: Continental crust is typically composed of older, more complex rocks that formed billions of years ago during the early stages of Earth's history. In contrast, oceanic crust is continuously being created at mid-ocean ridges and is relatively young in geological terms.
Therefore, the combination of continental crust being less dense and not easily subducted, along with its earlier formation compared to oceanic crust, allows scientists to find rocks in continental crust that are significantly older than those found in oceanic crust.