P4-Lithosphere

The lithosphere is the brittle solid outermost layer of the earth. It includes the crust and the uppermost mantle. The thickness of the lithosphere can vary between 1 and 80 miles thick. There are two types of lithospheric plates, the oceanic lithosphere and the continental lithosphere. The continental and oceanic lithosphere are broen up further into tectonic plates. The concept of a strong outer layer of the earth called the lithosphere was developed by Joseph Barrell.