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geosphere

British  
/ ˈdʒiːəʊˌsfɪə /

noun

  1. another name for lithosphere

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Explanation

The geosphere is the scientific name for the solid parts of a planet. When you go for a hike, you can think of the ground beneath your feet as part of the Earth's geosphere. In Earth science or geoscience, the geosphere refers to the parts of our planet that are solid (like the mantle and crust). The liquid and gaseous parts are called the hydrosphere and atmosphere. Geosphere, coined in the late 19th century, was modeled after atmosphere, with the Greek prefix geo-, "earth."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

First, the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere and biosphere are linked.

From Scientific American • Jul. 6, 2022

Planets, meanwhile, are immensely complex economies of energy and matter that cycle between vast reservoirs in the oceans and atmosphere, the cryosphere, geosphere and biosphere.

From The Guardian • May 26, 2019

Nitrogen-containing compounds, such as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, are in the biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2018

Soil is a combination of air, water, minerals, and organic matter that forms at the transition between the biosphere and geosphere.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

We were posing in front of the Spaceship Earth geosphere at Epcot for my thirteenth birthday.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas