lithosphere

American  

[lith-uh-sfeer] / ˈlɪθ əˌsfɪər /

noun

Geology.

1. the solid portion of the earth (atmosphere,hydrosphere ).

2. the crust and upper mantle of the earth.

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lithosphere British  

/ ˈlɪθəˌsfɪə /

noun

1. 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

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lithosphere Scientific  

/ lĭth′ə-sfîr′ /

1. 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.

2. Compare asthenosphere atmosphere hydrosphere

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lithosphere Cultural  

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

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Usage

What is the lithosphere? The lithosphere is the outermost layer of the Earth’s surface. It is rugged, dense, and mostly made out of solid rock.Generally speaking, Earth is made of a really hot core and layers of rock that get colder the farther you move from the center. The lithosphere is the farthest layer from the core and so is the coldest, made of mostly solid rock.The lithosphere consists of the crust, the actual surface of Earth that we walk on, and the upper part of the mantle, the rocky majority of the inner Earth between the core and the crust. The lithosphere averages about 75 km in thickness, depending on age.The lithosphere sits on top of the weaker, denser asthenosphere and slowly floats on top of it. The lithosphere is broken into solid chunks, known as plates, that drift on top of the asthenosphere and move a few inches every year. Sometimes, the plates of the lithosphere collide, break, or rub into each other, which is known as plate tectonics. Plate tectonics is responsible for earthquakes, volcanoes, and a variety of other geologic events.

Other Word Forms

• lithospheric adjective

Etymology

Origin of lithosphere

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

Compare meaning

How does lithosphere compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• lithosphere vs. asthenosphere

Example Sentences

Based on numerical modeling, their results suggest that this water has been confined within the lithosphere for an extensive period of 1.5-5 million years.

From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2024

The exact reasons behind these distinct properties and how they enable the lithosphere to move over the asthenosphere are not clearly understood.

From Science Daily • Sep. 27, 2023

The Earth's outermost layer, the lithosphere, is made up of plates of rock that are cracked like puzzle pieces.

From Salon • Feb. 9, 2023

Isostatic rebound is when some weight is removed from the continental lithosphere causing it to “float” higher on the asthenosphere.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

To say that the lithosphere floats on top of the asthenosphere suggests a degree of easy buoyancy that isn’t quite right.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson