lithosphere

noun

lith·​o·​sphere ˈli-thə-ˌsfir 

: 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 thickness

lithospheric

ˌli-thə-ˈsfir-ik 

-ˈsfer-

adjective

Examples of lithosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The lithosphere is the solid, outer part of the planet, including the brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust. —Andrew Gase, Discover Magazine, 30 Nov. 2024

Jules Verne might have had people journeying to the center of the earth in the 1860s, but outside of science fiction, humans have barely explored the lithosphere, the rocky outer layer of the planet, much less its deeper regions. —Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 29 Nov. 2024

The processes led to the lithosphere, which consists of the Earth's crust and upper mantle, thinning and extending seaward. —Devika Rao, theweek, 30 Oct. 2024

The issue is that even if a plate is dense enough to sink into the mantle, the lithosphere—the strong and rigid outer shell of the planet—has to crack first. —Shannon Hall, Scientific American, 20 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Lithosphäre, from litho- litho- + -sphäre -sphere

Note: Lithosphäre was introduced by the Austrian geologist Eduard Suess (1831-1914) in Die Entstehung der Alpen (Vienna, 1875), p. 158.

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lithosphere

noun

litho·​sphere

ˈlith-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r

: the outer part of the solid earth consisting of the crust and part of the mantle