Lithosphere - Definition, Features, Diagram, FAQs

The lithosphere refers to the hard outer shell of the Earth that includes the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. It is responsible for the planet's surface and nurtures life by its ever-changing geological processes. In this article, the discussion will give the meaning of lithosphere, its important elements, a labelled illustration and its diagram and the commonly asked questions.

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What is Lithosphere?

“The lithosphere is the rigid, outermost shell of planet Earth.” It is composed of the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater.

Lithosphere Examples- the Rocky Mountain range of mountains in western North America is one of the examples of the lithosphere.

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Lithosphere Composition

The Lithosphere is made up of the brittle, rigid and solid upper portion of the mantle and the crust, the outermost layers of Earth’s structure. The lithosphere consists of rocks of the earth’s crust & it also contains thin layers of soil. The soil holds the nutrient elements which sustain organisms. The lithosphere is exposed to the atmosphere from the top and is bounded by the asthenosphere (another part of the upper mantle) below it.

Lithosphere Meaning

"Litho" is from the Greek word lithos, meaning stone. "Sphere" is from the Greek word sphaira, meaning globe or ball.

Features of Lithospheres

The lithosphere consists of the crust and the upper mantle.

• The lithosphere is the outer part of the Earth.

• The lithosphere is made up of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle(It is the outermost layer of the upper mantle).

• The lithosphere is about 55 km thick below the oceans.

• The lithosphere is up to about 200 km thick below the continents.

• The seismic waves propagate with very high velocity through the lithosphere and these waves suggest that Lithosphere is completely solid.

How is the Lithosphere Formed?

Earth Time → Cooling Solidification Condensation into small size.

Development of outer surface(crust)

Explanation:

This has been explained in many lithosphere pdf and lithosphere ppt: “During the primordial stage, Earth was in a volatile state. At that time there was nothing called the Lithosphere”. We were not aware of How the lithosphere formed. Then due to the gradual increase in the density, the temperature of the Earth increased. As a result of this change, the material inside the Earth began to separate depending on their densities. This becomes the reason for the answer to the question How is the lithosphere formed?

Consequently, the heavier material (like iron) sank into the centre of the Earth i.e. the core. And the lighter material moved towards the surface of the Earth. Then with time the lighter material cooled down and solidified, further condensed into small sizes. This process leads to the development of the Lithosphere.

Earth's lithosphere includes the crust and the mantle (uppermost). The uppermost mantle is the outer layer of Earth which is solid, rigid and brittle. The lithosphere is subdivided into tectonic plates. The Lithosphere- Asthenosphere boundary is formed due to the difference in response to stress. That’s why the lithosphere deforms elastically while the asthenosphere deforms viscously.

Lithosphere Facts

• Scientists nowadays use robots to examine the lithosphere on outer space planets. For Example, recently on Mars.

• Lithosphere depth is different at different places.

• At the boundaries of each plate, the composition of the crust changes.