Shells · Matching 9 · Fill-in 2

Lithosphere & Asthenosphere

The lithosphere is the rigid lid. The asthenosphere is the plastic layer of rocks it rides on. These two names show up as both matching and fill-in.

Earth's rigid outer shell over a softer layer

Earth's interior · tap a layer

Crust

5–70 km

Thin, rocky outer layer. Continental crust is thicker and less dense; oceanic crust is thinner and denser.

Lithosphere = crust + top of mantle

The lithosphere includes the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. Together they form a stiff, breakable shell — the plates that carry continents and oceans.

Asthenosphere = plastic layer of rocks

Just below the lithosphere is the asthenosphere. “Plastic” here does not mean grocery-bag plastic. It means the rock is solid but soft enough to flow slowly, like warm putty. That slow flow lets the lithosphere move.

Drill cards

Earth's Interior Landforms, Topography & Relief