litosfericii

Litosfericii is a term found in some geological contexts used to refer to the lithospheric domain of the Earth, including the crust and the rigid portion of the upper mantle that forms tectonic plates. The word is derived from litosfera (lithosphere) with language-specific suffixes, and in English-language geology the corresponding terms are lithosphere and lithospheric. Litosfericii may appear in non-English publications as a way to denote lithospheric phenomena or the collective lithospheric shell.

The lithosphere is the Earth’s outer rigid shell, distinct from the underlying asthenosphere, which is more ductile. It is divided into continental lithosphere, which is thicker and less dense, and oceanic lithosphere, which is thinner and more dense. Together with the upper mantle, these lithospheric layers form the tectonic plates. Typical thicknesses vary: continental lithosphere is about 30 to 70 kilometers thick, oceanic lithosphere about 5 to 10 kilometers of crust with a total lithospheric thickness that can approach 100 kilometers in some regions.

The lithospheric plates move and interact at their boundaries, driving plate tectonics. Interactions at divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries produce earthquakes, volcanism, and mountain-building processes. Subduction recycles lithospheric material into the mantle, influencing geochemical cycles and mantle convection patterns that affect plate dynamics.

Usage note: Litosfericii is not standard in English-language geology. Most texts use lithosphere or lithospheric to describe the same concept. The term, when used, generally denotes the same rigid outer shell of the planet governing plate tectonics and surface geology.