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UNIT 6 The Earth’s structure THE LITHOSPHERE AND LITHOSPHERIC PLATES Natural Science 2. Secondary Education UNIT 6 The lithosphere and lithospheric plates What is the lithosphere? • The lithosphere is formed by the Earth’s crust and the upper part of the mantle (made up of hard rocks). • Its thickness varies, from 70 km under the oceans up to 200 km in the continents. • There are two types of lithosphere: the continental lithosphere and the oceanic lithosphere. Oceanic lithosphere Continental lithosphere Crust Lithosphere Hard mantle Natural Science 2. Secondary Education UNIT 6 The lithosphere and lithospheric plates Lithospheric plates • The lithosphere is not one continuous surface: it is divided into a number of pieces, called lithospheric plates, or tectonic plates. • Plate boundaries can be easily identified because they coincide with notable features of the lithosphere like oceanic ridges, oceanic trenches and large mountain ranges. North American plate Eurasian plate Philippine plate Juan de Fuca plate Arabian plate Cocos plate Pacific plate Nazca plate South American plate Scotia plate Natural Science 2. Secondary Education Pacific plate African plate Indo-Australian plate Antarctic plate
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