| What is the earth's lithosphere made of?
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| Question Date: 2015-02-05 |
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Answer 1:
Rocks. In particular a rock called
peridotite that is made up of the minerals
olivine, garnet and pyroxene.
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Answer 2:
Rock, in a word. The lithosphere has two
layers, an upper crust and a layer of solid mantle
underneath. The crust in turn comes in two types -
crust that makes up continents (which is mostly
granite), and the crust of the oceans (mostly
basalt). The upper mantle is made of a third rock
type called peridotite.
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Answer 3:
The Earth's lithosphere is made up of the crust
and the topmost portion of the mantle (I hope
you're familiar with these terms. I realize I
might just be throwing random words at you.) The
lithosphere is about 100 km thick on average, but
there are some areas where it is thinner or
thicker. Because it includes the crust, the
lithosphere is very hard and rigid compared to all
the other layers. It is composed of the rocks
that we see on the surface of the Earth, plus a
rock called peridotite (a very dense rock that
is found at the uppermost mantle).
I hope I answered your question. Have a great
day!
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Answer 4:
Earth's lithosphere is the outermost shell
of the planet: it consists of the crust and the
outermost solid mantle The crust can be
divided into two main categories: oceanic crust
and continental crust. Oceanic crust is comprise
of mafic (rich in magnesium and iron) and basaltic
(volcanic) rocks. Oceanic crust is thinner but
denser than continental crust, which is comprised
of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
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