Answer:
lithosphere
Step-by-step explanation:
The lithosphere is formed by what the earth's crust and the Earth's outer mantle would be in the static model. Its structure is quite rigid and has a thickness of about 100 km. It is known about its rigidity at such depths since the speed of seismic waves is constantly increasing as a function of depth.
In the lithosphere, temperature and pressure reach values that allow rocks to melt at some points.
According to the type of bark that contains the lithosphere we differentiate it into two types:
Continental lithosphere: It is the lithosphere that is formed by the continental crust and the outer part of the earth's mantle. In it are the continents, the mountainous systems, etc. The thickness is only about 120 km and is of an older geological age since there are rocks that are more than 3,800 years old.
Oceanic lithosphere: It is formed by the oceanic crust and the outer terrestrial mantle. They constitute the ocean floor and is thinner than the continental lithosphere. Its thickness is 65 km. It is formed mostly of basalts and there are ocean ridges. These are some mountain ranges at the bottom of the ocean in which the thickness is only 7 km.
The lithosphere rests on the asthenosphere that contains the rest of the Earth's outer mantle. The lithosphere is divided into different lithospheric or tectonic plates that move continuously.
The lithosphere is the upper rigid layer of the Earth (crust and outer mantle) and is divided into fragments called plates that are in motion. The plates change size and shape and may even disappear. The continents are on those plates and they are moved by the convection currents of the earth's mantle. The limits of the plates are where seismic movements and geological processes occur. The lower limit of the plate is thermal. The shocks of the plates are those that generate the folds, the faults and the earthquakes.