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The lithosphere consists of the crust and upper solid mantle (lithospheric mantle). The green dashed line marks the LAB. The green dashed line marks the LAB. The lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (referred to as the LAB by geophysicists) represents a mechanical difference between layers in Earth's inner structure .
Interaction of the asthenosphere, lithosphere, and surface though the mantle process of subduction at an oceanic-continental plate boundary. Volcanism which originates from the mantle occurs on the surface. Interaction of the asthenosphere, lithosphere, and surface through the mantle process of slab break-off. Grey indicates crust, purple ...
Earth's crust and mantle, Mohorovičić discontinuity between bottom of crust and solid uppermost mantle. Earth's mantle extends to a depth of 2,890 km (1,800 mi), making it the planet's thickest layer. [20] [This is 45% of the 6,371 km (3,959 mi) radius, and 83.7% of the volume - 0.6% of the volume is the crust].
The tectonic plates of the lithosphere on Earth Earth cutaway from center to surface, the lithosphere comprising the crust and lithospheric mantle (detail not to scale). A lithosphere (from Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos) 'rocky' and σφαίρα (sphaíra) 'sphere') is the rigid, [1] outermost rocky shell of a terrestrial planet or natural satellite.
The lithosphere layer is composed of two parts, an upper, the crustal lithosphere and lower, the mantle lithosphere. The crustal lithosphere is in unstable mechanical equilibrium because the underlying mantle lithosphere has a greater density than the asthenosphere below. [ 1 ]
When the new crust forms at mid-ocean ridges, this oceanic lithosphere is initially less dense than the underlying asthenosphere, but it becomes denser with age as it conductively cools and thickens. The greater density of old lithosphere relative to the underlying asthenosphere allows it to sink into the deep mantle at subduction zones ...
The crust and the cold, rigid, top of the upper mantle are collectively known as the lithosphere, which is divided into independently moving tectonic plates. [131] Beneath the lithosphere is the asthenosphere, a relatively low-viscosity layer on which the lithosphere rides.
Lithosphere underlying ocean crust has a thickness of around 100 km (62 mi), whereas lithosphere underlying continental crust generally has a thickness of 150–200 km (93–124 mi). [5] The lithosphere and overlying crust make up tectonic plates, which move over the asthenosphere. Below the asthenosphere, the mantle is again relatively rigid.