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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The varying chemical striping suggests that the upwelling behaves differently with the thickness of the lithosphere (the Earth's crust and the upper mantle); the thicker the plate, the slower the molten pulse.
—
Jay Kakade
july 05, New Atlas, 5 July 2025
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
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Jay Kakade
july 05, New Atlas, 5 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for lithosphere
Cite this Entry
“Lithosphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lithosphere. Accessed 28 Jul. 2025.
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