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why do we need it and why is it important to us

2006-11-21 18:29:57 · 8 answers · asked by cutejaz18 1 in Science & Mathematics Earth Sciences & Geology

8 answers

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2006-11-25 12:22:06 · answer #1 · answered by gone 7 · 0 0

Importance Of Lithosphere

2016-12-12 13:21:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

The lithosphere (from the Greek for "rocky" sphere) is the solid outermost shell of a rocky planet. On the Earth, the lithosphere includes the crust and the uppermost layer of the mantle (the upper mantle or lower lithosphere) which is joined to the crust.

As the cooling surface layer of the Earth's convection system, the lithosphere thickens over time. It is fragmented into relatively strong pieces, called tectonic plates (shown in the picture), which move independently relative to one another. This movement of lithospheric plates is described as plate tectonics.

The distinguishing characteristic of the lithosphere is not composition, but its flow properties. Under the influence of the low-intensity, long-term stresses that drive plate tectonic motions, the lithosphere responds essentially as a rigid shell and thus deforms primarily through brittle failure, whereas the asthenosphere (the layer of the mantle below the lithosphere) is heat-softened and accommodates strain through plastic deformation. Both the crust and upper mantle float on the more plastic asthenosphere. The crust is distinguished from the upper mantle by the change in chemical composition that takes place at the Moho discontinuity.

There are two types of lithosphere:

oceanic lithosphere
continental lithosphere
Oceanic lithosphere is about 70 km thick (but can be as thin as 1.6 km at the mid-ocean ridges), while continental lithosphere is about 150 km thick (and can be considerably thicker at continental collision zones). Oceanic lithosphere consists mainly of mafic and ultramafic rocks and is denser than continental lithosphere, which consists predominantly of felsic rocks. This higher density has the effect that at subduction zones the oceanic plate will invariably sink underneath the continental plate. New oceanic lithosphere is constantly being produced at mid-ocean ridges from mantle material and is recycled back to the mantle at subduction zones. As a result, oceanic lithosphere is much younger than continental lithosphere: the oldest oceanic lithosphere is about 200 million years old, while parts of the continental lithosphere are billions of years old. As oceanic lithosphere grows older, it gets cooler and denser, with the result that if two oceanic plates converge, the older one will subduct below the younger one.

2006-11-21 18:39:10 · answer #3 · answered by glduke2003 4 · 1 0

We need the lithosphere and it's important to us because it's the part of the earth's crust that we live on. It there was no lithosphere, there would just be mantle and we can not live on the mantle

2006-11-23 12:21:36 · answer #4 · answered by dawn 2 · 1 0

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The lithosphere provides the solid surface necessary for terrestrial organisms, but it is much more than just an area on which life can roam. It is also a reservoir of nutrients that are essential for life, accessible to living things in the form of soil. It holds deposits of fresh water and energy resources. Geographic variations of the lithosphere also affect climatic patterns. This term normally refers to the rocks of the earth. Sometimes it is used to refer to just the uppermost 100 km of soil and solid rock, which is rich in the elements silicon, oxygen, magnesium, and iron. Check this link for picture representation.......

2016-04-09 21:03:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

It's simply because we live in the rocky portion of the earth, one of the earth's division... "lithosphere". Certain regions bet. the crust abd mantle.

2006-11-21 18:36:28 · answer #6 · answered by Ashlyn_47 2 · 0 2

because the lithosphere protects us from alien beings in outer space

2006-11-25 17:55:12 · answer #7 · answered by Willie T 1 · 0 3

YES. OF COUSE WE NEED IT.. EVERYTHING ON EARTH HAS ITS IMPORTANCE.

2006-11-25 17:21:54 · answer #8 · answered by chantal 2 · 0 3

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