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 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

But what causes the lithosphere to crack is hotly debated in the field. —Shannon Hall, Scientific American, 20 July 2017

Earth's upper mantle is separated into two layers, the lithosphere and the asthenosphere, though the lithosphere also contains Earth's crust. —Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2023

Mars’s lithosphere, the study shows, is about 500 kilometers in thickness, compared with Earth’s approximately 250-kilometer-thick lithosphere. —Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 22 July 2021

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