lithosphere

[lith-uh-sfeer]

noun Geology.

the solid portion of the earth (distinguished from atmosphere, hydrosphere).
the crust and upper mantle of the earth.

Origin of lithosphere

First recorded in 1885–90; litho- + -sphere

Also called ge·o·sphere

[jee-uh-sfeer] /ˈdʒi əˌsfɪər/.

Related formslith·o·spher·ic

[lith-uh-sfer-ik] /ˌlɪθ əˈsfɛr ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lithosphere

Historical Examples of lithosphere

Our globe is a cooling and contracting body, and depression must always be the prevailing movement of the lithosphere.
Fragments of Earth Lore
James Geikie
Thus were formed the oceanic basin and the continental arches of the lithosphere.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, February 1900
Various
The lithosphere is the more or less stable crust of the earth, which may have been, to begin with, about fifty miles in thickness.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)
J. Arthur Thomson
The accompanying figure shows the boundaries of lithosphere plates that are presently active.
Volcanoes
Robert I. Tilling
These igneous rocks were consolidated either upon the surface of the lithosphere or in its interior.
The Principles of Stratigraphical Geology
J. E. Marr

British Dictionary definitions for lithosphere

lithosphere

noun

the rigid outer layer of the earth, having an average thickness of about 75 km and comprising the earth's crust and the solid part of the mantle above the asthenosphere

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

Word Origin and History for lithosphere

"solid part of the earth's surface," 1881; see litho- "stone" + sphere.

lithosphere in Science

lithosphere

[lĭth′ə-sfîr′]

The outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle. It is about 55 km (34 mi) thick beneath the oceans and up to about 200 km (124 mi) thick beneath the continents. The high velocity with which seismic waves propagate through the lithosphere suggests that it is completely solid. Compare asthenosphere atmosphere hydrosphere.

lithosphere in Culture

lithosphere

[(lith-uh-sfeer)]

The outer layer of the Earth, comprising the crust and the upper part of the mantle. The lithosphere is about sixty miles thick.