What do continents "lay" on?

Question

It's a simple question.. What do continents "lay" on? Do they float on water? or are they huge bodies that "emerge" from the sea floor/bed? are they connected to the bottom of the oceans? Hope the question is clear. Don't be afraid to be thorough and scientific in your answer, I'll appreciate it and do everything to understand it.

Answer 1

 The entire earth is composed of lithospheric plates. The plates consist of the crust sitting on top of the rigid mantle. This lithosphere sits atop the asthenosphere which is also known as the plastic mantle. Due to convection within the plastic mantle, the lithospheric plates migrate around the earth. At some locations the plates diverge (divide) and create oceanic crust. At other locations, the plates smash into eachother (converge) and create oceanic trenches or mountains (think Himalayas). At other spots the plates slip past each other (San andreas fault). So continents DO NOT float on water. In fact, the oceans float above the plates. Imagine draining all the oceans away. What you have left is a complete skin like that of an apple that has splits in it.