Where is lithosphere found

There are two types of lithosphere: oceanic lithosphere and continental lithosphere. Oceanic lithosphere is slightly denser and is associated with oceanic crust , which makes up the sea floor. The lithosphere is divided into huge slabs called tectonic plates. The heat from the mantle makes the rocks at the bottom of the lithosphere slightly elastic , which allows the plates to move.

The movement of these plates is known as plate tectonics. Most tectonic activity takes place at the boundaries of these plates, where they may collide, tear apart, or slide against each other.

Tectonic activity is responsible for some of Earth's most dramatic geologic events. It is what forms earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain ranges and deep ocean trenches. Both oceanic and continental lithospheres are thinnest at rift valleys and ocean ridges, where tectonic plates are shifting apart from one another.

The solid rock of the lithosphere is one of five systems that shape the planet. Other "spheres" include the biosphere living things , the cryosphere ice and frozen soil , the hydrosphere liquid water and the atmosphere the air surrounding the planet.

Together, these spheres influence all of the natural world. For example, it takes a combination of the systems to create the pedosphere , or the part of the lithosphere made of soil and dirt.

Hard rocks of the lithosphere might be ground down to powder by the powerful movement of an icy glacier. Weathering and erosion caused by wind or rain can also wear down rocks. Plant and animal remains from the biosphere mix with these eroded rocks to create fertile soil, which is the pedosphere. The interaction of these systems influences every environment on Earth. Tall mountains, for example, often have lower temperatures than valleys or hills. In high-altitude mountain ranges, the lithosphere interacts with the thinner air and precipitation to create a cool or even icy climate zone.

Over time, plants and animals have adapted to life in these unique environments. An adaptation is passed from generation to generation. The Earth is the only place in the known universe that supports life. Also called lithospheric plate. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

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They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. A volcano is defined as an opening in the Earth's crust through which lava, ash, and gases erupt.

The term also includes the cone-shaped landform built by repeated eruptions over time. Teach your students about volcanoes with this collection of engaging material. A gallery of map illustrations showing the positions of tectonic plates in the geologic past.

The mantle is the mostly-solid bulk of Earth's interior. The mantle lies between Earth's dense, super-heated core and its thin outer layer, the crust. The theory of plate tectonics revolutionized the earth sciences by explaining how the movement of geologic plates causes mountain building, volcanoes, and earthquakes.

Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. Click below to visit our MapMaker Interactive layer displaying the lithosphere's tectonic plates. The lithosphere is thinnest at mid-ocean ridges, where tectonic plates are tearing apart from each other. Click below to visit our high-resolution map of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

The rocky lithosphere includes part of the upper mantle and crust. Photograph by Jennifer Plourde, MyShot. Extraterrestrial Lithospheres All terrestrial planets have lithospheres. The lithospheres of Mercury, Venus, and Mars are much thicker and more rigid than Earth's. Also called the geosphere. Media Credits The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

Media If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. Text Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

Interactives Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Related Resources. View Collection. Plate Tectonics. Earth Structure. The Rock Cycle. Earth's Shifting Tectonic Plates. View Map. View Article. View More Resources. Educational Resources in Your Inbox. Educational Resources in Your Inbox Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. The oceanic lithosphere thickens as it ages and moves away from the mid-ocean ridge.

This thickening occurs by conductive cooling, which converts hot asthenosphere into the lithospheric mantle, and causes the oceanic lithosphere to become increasingly dense with age. Oceanic lithosphere is less dense than the asthenosphere for a few tens of millions of years, but after this becomes increasingly denser than the asthenosphere.

The gravitational instability of the mature oceanic lithosphere has the effect that at subduction zones the oceanic lithosphere invariably sinks underneath the overriding lithosphere, which can be oceanic or continental. The new oceanic lithosphere is constantly being produced at mid-ocean ridges and is recycled back to the mantle at subduction zones. As a result, the oceanic lithosphere is much younger than the continental lithosphere: the oldest oceanic lithosphere is about million years old, while parts of the continental lithosphere are billions of years old.

Another distinguishing characteristic of the lithosphere is its flow properties. Under the influence of the low-intensity, long-term stresses that drive plate tectonic motions, the lithosphere responds essentially as a rigid shell and thus deforms primarily through brittle failure, whereas the asthenosphere the layer of the mantle below the lithosphere is heat-softened and accommodates strain through plastic deformation.

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