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Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences pp 1–6Cite as

Lithosphere: Structure and Composition

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Definition

The lithosphere (from the Greek words lithos [λίθος] meaning rocky and sphaira [σΦαῖρα]meaning sphere) is defined as the outermost rigid shell of the Earth (Skinner et al., 2003). It comprises the crust and the upper portion of the mantle which is stiff and rigid and behaves elastically over millions of years. The mantle part of the lithosphere is named the “lithospheric mantle.” Beneath the lithospheric mantle follows the asthenosphere (from the Greek words asthenḗs [ἀσθενής] meaning weak and sphaira [σΦαῖρα] meaning sphere). Both the lithospheric mantle and the upper part of the asthenosphere are mainly composed of peridotitic rocks.

Introduction

The crust overlying the lithospheric mantle is either of oceanic type which is mainly composed of gabbroic and basaltic rocks resulting in a mean density of 3.0 g/cm3, or of continental type with a gabbroic/granulitic layer at its base and a variety of rock types in the upper part formed by magmatic differentiation, metamorphism,...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geography and Geology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 17A, 17487, Greifswald, Germany

    Martin Meschede

Authors
  1. Martin Meschede
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Correspondence to Martin Meschede .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, University of Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland

    Jan Harff

  2. Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    Martin Meschede

  3. Leibiniz Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany

    Sven Petersen

  4. Academy of Sciences, Humanities, and Lit c/o Helmholtz-Center for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany

    Jörn Thiede

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Meschede, M. (2015). Lithosphere: Structure and Composition. In: Harff, J., Meschede, M., Petersen, S., Thiede, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Marine Geosciences. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6644-0_86-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6644-0_86-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6644-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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