The lithosphere (from the Greek for

"rocky" sphere) is the solid outermost

shell of a rocky planet. On the Earth, the
lithosphere includes the crust and the
uppermost layer of the mantle. It floats
on the more plastic asthenosphere. The
thickness of the lithosphere varies from
around 1.6 km (1mi) at the mid-ocean
ridges to approximately 130 km (80 mi)
beneath older oceanic crust.
wido/IKD

The thickness of the continental

lithospheric plates is probably around 150
kilometers (93 miles) but is uncertain due
to the irregular presence of the Moho
discontinuity.
As the cooling surface layer of the Earth's
convection system, the lithosphere
thickens over time. It is fragmented into
relatively strong pieces, called tectonic
plates, which move independently relative
to one another.
wido/IKD

This movement of lithospheric plates is

described as plate tectonics.
The lithosphere is distinguished from the
crust by its chemical composition

wido/IKD

wido/IKD

OCEANIC CRUST

CONTINENTAL CRUST

Basaltic, Si-Ma

Granitic, Si-Al

B J ~ 3.3
Elastic , thin n (<
10km) and subsidence
Less than 200 my

B J = 2.7
Rigid, (thick > 15 km)
and Floating
More than 200 my

wido/IKD

wido/IKD

wido/IKD

wido/IKD