Lithosphere
Lithosphere
Lithosphere
LITHOSPHERE
Lithosphere is derived from two Greek words Lithos and Sphaira
which means Rocky Surface.
STRUCTURE OF LITHOSPHERE
The lithosphere is the hard shell of the Earth, consisting of two parts Crust Upper most part of mantle
CRUST
Crust is the outermost solid layer of the earth which averages about 60
kilometers in thickness.
It is relatively thin than mantle. Crust under the oceans is only about 5
km thick while crust under continents can be up to 65 km thick. Oceanic crust is made of denser minerals than continental crust.
MANTLE
The widest section of the Earth is the mantle with an approximate
diameter of 2,900 km.
TYPES OF LITHOSPHERE
There are two types of lithosphere Continental lithosphere Oceanic lithosphere Continental lithosphere
The dry land of Earths surface is called the continental crust. It is about 15 to 75 km thick. It is the layer of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. Continental crust makes up about 70% of the volume of Earth's crust.
Oceanic lithosphere It is the part of Earth's lithosphere that surfaces in the ocean basins. It is primarily composed of mafic rocks, or sima. Rich in iron and magnesium. The oceanic crust is thinner than the continental crust. Its average
thickness is 5 to 10 km.
IMPORTANCE OF LITHOSPHERE
lithosphere is very important because it is a large reservoir of
resources.