lithosphere
[lith-uh-sfeer]
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noun Geology.
the solid portion of the earth (distinguished from atmosphere, hydrosphere).
the crust and upper mantle of the earth.
Origin of lithosphere
Also called ge·o·sphere [jee-uh-sfeer] /ˈdʒi əˌsfɪər/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
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 LoreJames Geikie
Thus were formed the oceanic basin and the continental arches of the lithosphere.
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.
VolcanoesRobert I. Tilling
These igneous rocks were consolidated either upon the surface of the lithosphere or in its interior.
lithosphere
noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
lithosphere
[lĭth′ə-sfîr′]
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
lithosphere
[(lith-uh-sfeer)]
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.