Lithosfärens

Lithosfärens is the genitive form of the Swedish noun that denotes the Earth’s outer shell, commonly called the lithosphere in English. In Swedish scientific writing, lithosfärens is used to refer to the lithosphere’s properties, processes, or features as belonging to it.

The lithosfären (the base noun) refers to the rigid outer layer that includes the crust and the upper mantle. It is subdivided into oceanic lithosphere and continental lithosphere. The oceanic part is thinner, typically about 60 to 100 kilometers thick, while the continental part is thicker and more variable, commonly 120 to 250 kilometers and up to around 300 kilometers in some regions. The lithosfären behaves rigidly compared with the underlying asthenosphere, on which it rides as a tectonic plate.

Plate tectonics describe the movement and interaction of lithosfärenic plates. Divergent, convergent, and transform margins accommodate motion; subduction, collision, and rifting drive earthquakes, volcanism, and mountain building. The term lithosfärens is used when discussing the lithosphere’s role in these processes or its evolution over geologic time.

Researchers determine lithosfärens boundaries and properties through seismology, gravity measurements, geodesy, and radiometric dating, combined with geochemical data. These methods map thickness, composition, and temperature structure, contributing to models of plate dynamics and Earth’s thermal history.