lithosphere synonyms, lithosphere pronunciation, lithosphere translation, English dictionary definition of lithosphere. Structure of the earth. The sky, appearing as a hemisphere to an observer: the sphere of the heavens. The lithosphere is about sixty miles thick. The outermost shell of a rocky planet, the crust, is defined on the basis of its chemistry and mineralogy. The lithosphere is the solid shell of the planet Earth. The long-term strength of the lithosphere varies as a function of depth according to brittle and ductile deformation laws. Similar to the rheological stratification of the lithosphere, the predicted thermal history allowed tracking the evolution of depth-distributed melting. Kent C. Condie, in Earth as an Evolving Planetary System (Second Edition), 2011 Oceanic Lithosphere. Under the lithosphere is the asthenosphere, the weaker, hotter, and deeper part of the upper mantle. La lithosphère représente l’enveloppe solide externe de la Terre. Lithosphere definition: the rigid outer layer of the earth, having an average thickness of about 75 km and... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples On Earth, it comprises the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater. All rights reserved. 4. A spherical object or figure. The 2000 km (1,250 miles) thick outer core containing such molten heavy metals as nickel and iron.1. To know more about hydrosphere, visit us. The lithosphere, sometimes called the geosphere, refers to all of the rocks of the earth. Lithosphere definition is - the solid part of a celestial body (such as the earth); specifically : the outer part of the solid earth composed of rock essentially like that exposed at the surface, consisting of the crust and outermost layer of the mantle, and usually considered to be about 60 miles (100 kilometers) in … 2. The outer layer of the Earth, comprising the crust and the upper part of the mantle. Definition Depth; Lithosphere: The outermost and most rigid mechanical layer of the Earth. The San Andreas fault is actually just a portion of a larger fault line that runs some 100-kilometers wide. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary The Most Surprisingly Serendipitous Words Of The Day, What To Know About The Holidays Called Eid (And Why There Are Two Of Them), “Affect” vs. “Effect”: Use The Correct Word Every Time, 600 New Words And Definitions: The Latest Updates To Dictionary.com. A celestial body, such as a planet or star. n. The outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle, about 100 kilometers thick. fracture definition: 1. However, it has cracks that can be found in the continents and even on the ocean floor. The standard model involves cooling by conduction and increasing in thickness until about 70 Ma, reaching a maximum thickness of about 120 km. the lithosphere) and the asthenosphere. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. A lithosphere is the rigid, outermost shell of a terrestrial-type planet or natural satellite. Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021, Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Earths crust. The Lithosphere . 2. Copyright © 2011. Oceanic lithosphere is the Earth's crust that is under the oceans. It includes the planet's mantle and crust, the two outermost layers. Above the metallic core of the planet, the lithosphere consists exclusively of fluorides of the metals. 3. Just under the plates flows the hot, elastic asthenosphere. How the Earth-shaking theory of plate tectonics was born, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 7, The Principles of Stratigraphical Geology. n. A sudden movement of the earth's crust caused by the release of stress accumulated along geologic faults or by volcanic activity. The lithosphere is the rigid outermost shell of a rocky planet. Editors Contribution (0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: the lithosphere definition: 1. the solid outer layer of the earth 2. the solid outer layer of the earth 3. the solid outer…. ‘continental lithosphere has a lower mean density than oceanic lithosphere’ ‘An alternative to an active mantle thermal anomaly is greater stretching of the mantle lithosphere than the crust.’ the solid portion of the earth (distinguished from, 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. “Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense. An example of lithosphere is the Rocky Mountain range in western North America. Meronyms (parts of "lithosphere"): crust; Earth's crust (the outer layer of the Earth). Are you building something up or tearing it down? Lithosphäre was introduced by the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess (1831-1914) in Die Entstehung der Alpen (Vienna, 1875), p. 158. Well, here it is! Plate tectonics: Geological features of divergent plate boundaries. The word is … What Is An Em Dash And How Do You Use It? Plates moving due … The continental lithosphere is very thick, and because of its thickness continental transform areas aren’t just cracks within the lithosphere but large zones of deformation that can run hundreds of kilometers wide. ¹ Source: wiktionary.com. Lithosphere Meaning. It extends to a depth of about 60 miles (100 km). Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? The name 'lithosphere' comes from the Greek words lithos, meaning 'rocky,' and sphaeros, meaning 'sphere.' Definition of lithosphere asthenosphere boundary "Lithosphere" has the potential to become a really great article, but it is currently missing a few key topics. 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? earthquake synonyms, earthquake pronunciation, earthquake translation, English dictionary definition of earthquake. Rocks play an important role in our life as many minerals are derived from them. On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater. 3. See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz. Try One Of These Snappy Synonyms For “Fast,” Pronto! By their action upon the lithosphere they have produced a third envelope,—the mantle of rock waste. The lithosphere includes the Earth's crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. The outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle. Learn more. Definition of Lithosphere. 1. 5. They move in different directions, converging, sliding or … What made you want to look up lithosphere? - The land of the lithosphere interacts with the oceans of the hydrosphere at the coastlines. There are two types of lithosphere. The dark, cold abysses of the ocean are far less affected by change than any other portion of the surface of the lithosphere. Note # 1. 'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'. The outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle. Hypernyms ("lithosphere" is a kind of...): layer (a relatively thin sheetlike expanse or region lying over or under another). The lithosphere is made of the brittle crust and uppermost mantle and lies on the plastic asthenosphere. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins The key to understanding lithosphere definition is learning about its compositions. Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012. It consists of a mixture of various gases and is believed to extend about 10,000 km above sea level. Elle se compose de la croûte (continentale ou océanique) ainsi que de la partie supérieure du manteau. Lithosphere, rigid, rocky outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and the solid outermost layer of the upper mantle. Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible). Earth's surface; surface (the outermost level of the land or sea) The 6-35 km (4-21 miles) thick lithosphere. - The land also interacts with the air of the atmosphere and different climates. 2021. Oceanic lithosphere: Oceanic lithosphere mainly consists of malfic crust (abundant in iron and magnesium) and ultramafic rock (over mafic) and is thicker than the continental lithosphere. sphere (sfĭr) n. 1. Lithosphere definition is - the solid part of a celestial body (such as the earth); specifically : the outer part of the solid earth composed of rock essentially like that exposed at the surface, consisting of the crust and outermost layer of the mantle, and usually considered to be about 60 miles (100 kilometers) in … On Earth, it comprises the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater. As it ages, it thickens and passes away from the ridge of mid-ocean. It is about 55 km (34 mi) thick beneath the oceans and up to about 200 km (124 mi) thick beneath the continents. Lithosphere is defined as the rock and crust surface that covers the Earth. lithosphere (n.) "crust of the earth, solid part of the earth's surface," 1881, from or modeled on German Lithosphäre (1870s); see litho- "stone" + sphere. Define earthquake. Learn a new word every day. Tectonic plates do not just drift on this upper mantle. Definition of Lithosphere. The lithosphere of the earth is made up of tectonic plates, plates of rock that lie under the crust. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Earth’s lithosphere composition varies greatly depending on whether it lies under oceans or on land. Definition of lithosphere noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. The high velocity … Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! The high velocity with which seismic waves propagate through the lithosphere suggests that it is completely solid. Mathematics A three-dimensional surface, all points of which are equidistant from a fixed point. That means the crust, plus the part of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on long time scales. Rocks make up mountains, hills, valleys, plains and they also form river and ocean beds. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Send us feedback. Rheological parameters used in this study are provided in the Table 3. It is broken into about a dozen separate, rigid blocks, or plates (see plate tectonics). These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lithosphere.' “Lithosphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lithosphere. Subduction consumes lithosphere and since the surface of the earth is a constant, it compensates for the amount of lithosphere created at divergent plate boundaries. The Lithosphere: Definition & Composition Seafloor Spreading: Theory & Definition Subduction Zone: Definition, Location & Example All the tectonic movements of the solid nucleus produce changes in the mobile lithosphere. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Plate tectonics: Difference between crust and lithosphere. The lithosphere (Greek: λίθος [ lithos] for "rocky" + σφαῖρα [ sphaira] for "sphere") is the rigid outermost shell of a rocky planet. Noun. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. Note: Definition of Lithosphere the solid part of the earth that includes the crust Examples of Lithosphere in a sentence The geologists compared the solid crust of the lithosphere to other parts of the planet. The lithosphere is the rigid, outermost shell on Earth. The lithosphere, however, only refers to the uppermost layers of the solid Earth (oceanic and continental crustal rocks and uppermost mantle). There are four main reservoirs of oxygen on Earth: the terrestrial biosphere (green), marine biosphere (blue), This latest study examines what was lying below the Siberian Flood Basalts, rock between the crust and the mantle known as the, Post the Definition of lithosphere to Facebook, Share the Definition of lithosphere on Twitter. Rocks forming the ocean bed are rich source of crude oil and natural gas. The lithosphere includes the crust and the top of the mantle. It is composed of the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater. As the pieces of lithosphere move apart, new seafloor continues to form between them, called “seafloor spreading.”. Plate tectonics: Evidence of plate movement. % Video shows what lithosphere means. The coasts are teeming with life such as fish, birds, invertebrates, and mammals. Synonyms: geosphere; lithosphere. mantle (the layer of the earth between the crust and the core). On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater. Because of these cracks, the lithosphere is broken down into smaller pieces, and these smaller pieces are known as the tectonic plates. Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Define lithosphere. Plate tectonics: Geological features of convergent plate boundaries. If something hard, such as a bone, fractures, or is fractured, it breaks or cracks: 2. to…. A lithosphere (Ancient Greek: λίθος [líthos] for "rocky", and σφαίρα [sphaíra] for "sphere") is the rigid, outermost shell of a terrestrial-type planet or natural satellite. Learn more. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition The outer shell of the earth, the lithosphere, is broken up into tectonic plates. Earth’s outermost solid layer known as lithosphere is … The lithosphere's thickness varies depending on whether you measure the thin new crust on the ocean floor or the old crust of an established land mass. (geology) The rigid, mechanically strong, outer layer of the Earth; divided into twelve major plates ¹. We have given precise information about the hydrosphere that includes the hydrosphere definition along with its importance to humans. The upper layer of the mantle is divided into the lithospheric mantle (aka. It is about 55 km (34 mi) thick beneath the oceans and up to about 200 km (124 mi) thick beneath the continents. However, due to the uneven distribution of rocks and other materials, pinpointing all the components of lithosphere can be difficult. 2. When we talk about tectonic or lithospheric plates, we mean the sections into which the lithosphere is cracked. 1. The largest plates are the Antarctic, Eurasian, and North American plates. Accessed 12 May. ADVERTISEMENTS: Notes on Atmosphere, Hydrosphere and Lithosphere! 1. n. The solid earth as distinguished from its fluid envelopes, the hydrosphere and atmosphere. The 2900 km (1.800 miles) thick Mantle layer formed from rapidly flowing magma. Plates are on average 125km thick, reaching maximum thickness below mountain ranges. Nglish: Translation of lithosphere for Spanish Speakers, Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about lithosphere. 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To America 's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and Advanced search—ad free a quiz on this?... Lithosphere interacts with the oceans of the crust and the uppermost part of the Earth ; divided into twelve plates. Changes in the bud ' rich source of crude oil and natural gas rigid layer! Shell of the land of the lithosphere, is defined on the basis of and... Rheological parameters used in this study are provided in the mobile lithosphere to brittle and ductile deformation.. 3. the solid Earth as an Evolving Planetary System ( Second Edition ), oceanic. Lithosphere. ” Merriam-Webster.com dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https: //www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lithosphere varies as a planet or star mantle rock! Maximum thickness of about 60 miles ( 100 km ) mechanically strong, outer layer of the metals topic... Velocity with which seismic waves propagate through the lithosphere and the core.! 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