Definition of lithospheres Lithospheres

We found 3 definitions of lithospheres from 2 different sources.

What does lithospheres mean?

Wiktionary

lithospheres (Noun)
Plural of lithosphere.

Part of speech

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lithospheres, noun, plural of lithosphere.

WordNet

Noun Plural: lithospheres
lithosphere - the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle
		geosphere
		layer thin structure composed of a single thickness of cells
		globe, earth, world a sphere on which a map (especially of the earth) is represented
		earth's crust, crust the trait of being rude and impertinent; inclined to take liberties
		mantle (zoology) a protective layer of epidermis in mollusks or brachiopods that secretes a substance forming the shell

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Wiktionary

lithosphere (Noun)
The rigid, mechanically strong, outer layer of the Earth; divided into twelve major plates.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

lithosphere
The solid portion of the Earth, as compared with the atmosphere and the hydrosphere.\n(Source: BJGEO)

Wikipedia

The lithosphere is the solid shell of a rocky planet called earth. That means the crust and the upper part of the mantle which is joined to the crust (see picture on the right).

Under the lithosphere there is the asthenosphere, the weaker, hotter, and deeper part of the upper mantle.

The lithosphere is the surface layer of the fluid parts of the Earth's convection system, therefore it thickens over time. It is broken up into pieces called plates (shown in picture on the left), which move independently relative to one another. This movement of lithospheric plates is described as plate tectonics.

The division of Earth's outer layers into lithosphere and asthenosphere should not be confused with the chemical subdivision of the outer Earth into mantle, and crust. All crust is in the lithosphere, but lithosphere generally contains more mantle than crust.

Oceanic lithosphere is typically about 50-100 km thick (but beneath the mid-ocean ridges is no thicker than the crust). Continental lithosphere is thicker (about 150 km). It consists of about 50 km of crust and 100 km or more of uppermost mantle.

Oceanic lithosphere consists mainly of mafic crust and ultramafic mantle and is denser than continental lithosphere, for which the mantle is associated with crust made of felsic rocks. The crust is distinguished from the upper mantle by the change in chemical composition that takes place at the Moho discontinuity. Oceanic lithosphere thickens as it ages and moves away from the mid-ocean r