lithosphere
Upper rocky layer of the Earth that forms the jigsaw of plates that take part in the movements of plate tectonics. The lithosphere comprises the crust and a portion of the upper mantle. It is regarded as being rigid and brittle and moves about on the more plastic and less brittle asthenosphere. The lithosphere ranges in thickness from 2–3 km/1–2 mi at mid-ocean ridges to 150 km/93 mi beneath old ocean crust, to 250 km/155 mi under cratons.
© RM 2012. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.
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