Meaning & use
lithosphere
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The rigid outer layer of the Earth, consisting of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle.
See it in a sentence
Tectonic plates are large sections of the lithosphere that slide slowly over the layer beneath them.
Earthquakes often occur at the boundaries between plates of the lithosphere.
A note on using this word
Distinct from the 'crust' alone; the lithosphere includes both the crust and the solid, uppermost portion of the mantle beneath it.
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