1. UNIT 6 The Earth’s structure Natural Science 2. Secondary Education THE LITHOSPHERE AND LITHOSPHERIC PLATES

2. UNIT 6 Natural Science 2. Secondary Education The lithosphere and lithospheric plates 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. What is the lithosphere? Crust Hard mantle Lithosphere Continental lithosphere Oceanic lithosphere

3. UNIT 6 Natural Science 2. Secondary Education 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. Lithospheric plates North American plate Eurasian plate African plate South American plate Antarctic plate Pacific plate Indo-Australian plate Juan de Fuca plate Cocos plate Nazca plate Scotia plate Philippine plate Arabian plate The lithosphere and lithospheric plates