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
Examples of lithosphere in a Sentence
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On Earth, this outer shell—the lithosphere, which includes the crust and part of the upper mantle—is broken into tectonic plates that drift over the hot, plastic mantle.
—
Elise Cutts, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
They are believed to form when hot, plumes from deep inside a planet push against its outer shell called the lithosphere.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 19 May 2025
In places where the lithosphere is stiffer, entire slabs of crust could subduct in a small-scale, circular mirror of Earth’s subduction zones, like those that form the Pacific Ocean’s famed volcanic Ring of Fire.
—Elise Cutts, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
How the continents formed Earth’s uppermost layer, the lithosphere, is made up of the rigid crust and the top part of the mantle, which is in a denser, but more fluid state.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
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Elise Cutts, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
They are believed to form when hot, plumes from deep inside a planet push against its outer shell called the lithosphere.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 19 May 2025
In places where the lithosphere is stiffer, entire slabs of crust could subduct in a small-scale, circular mirror of Earth’s subduction zones, like those that form the Pacific Ocean’s famed volcanic Ring of Fire.
—Elise Cutts, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
How the continents formed Earth’s uppermost layer, the lithosphere, is made up of the rigid crust and the top part of the mantle, which is in a denser, but more fluid state.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lithosphere
Cite this Entry
“Lithosphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lithosphere. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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