Most tectonic activity takes place at the boundaries of these plates, where they may collide, tear apart, or slide against each other. The lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates including the North American, Caribbean, South American, Scotia, Antarctic, Eurasian, Arabian, African, Indian, Philippine, Australian, Pacific, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, and Nazca.

Tectonic activity describes the interaction of the huge slabs of lithosphere called tectonic plates. The most well-known feature associated with Earth’s lithosphere is tectonic activity. Oceanic lithosphere is associated with oceanic crust, and is slightly denser than continental lithosphere. There are two types of lithosphere: oceanic lithosphere and continental lithosphere.

The lithosphere is far less ductile than the asthenosphere. The asthenosphere is viscous, and the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) is the point where geologists and rheologists-scientists who study the flow of matter-mark the difference in ductility between the two layers of the upper mantle. Ductility measures a solid material’s ability to deform or stretch under stress. It is bounded by the atmosphere above and the asthenosphere (another part of the upper mantle) below.Īlthough the rocks of the lithosphere are still considered elastic, they are not viscous. The lithosphere includes the brittle upper portion of the mantle and the crust, the outermost layers of Earth’s structure. The lithosphere is the solid, outer part of Earth.

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