![]() ![]() The lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary is defined by a difference in response to stress. The lithosphere is underlain by the asthenosphere which is the weaker, hotter, and deeper part of the upper mantle. The crust and upper mantle are distinguished on the basis of chemistry and mineralogy.Įarth's lithosphere, which constitutes the hard and rigid outer vertical layer of the Earth, includes the crust and the uppermost mantle. ![]() ![]() On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of up to thousands of years or more. Earth cutaway from center to surface, the lithosphere comprising the crust and lithospheric mantle (detail not to scale)Ī lithosphere (from Ancient Greek λίθος ( líthos) 'rocky', and σφαίρα ( sphaíra) 'sphere') is the rigid, outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite. ![]()
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