<P> Earth 's lithosphere includes the crust and the uppermost mantle , which constitute the hard and rigid outer layer of the Earth . The lithosphere is subdivided into tectonic plates . The uppermost part of the lithosphere that chemically reacts to the atmosphere , hydrosphere and biosphere through the soil forming process is called the pedosphere . The lithosphere is underlain by the asthenosphere which is the weaker , hotter , and deeper part of the upper mantle . The Lithosphere - Asthenosphere boundary is defined by a difference in response to stress : the lithosphere remains rigid for very long periods of geologic time in which it deforms elastically and through brittle failure , while the asthenosphere deforms viscously and accommodates strain through plastic deformation . The study of past and current formations of landscapes is called geomorphology . </P>
<P> Earth 's lithosphere includes the crust and the uppermost mantle , which constitute the hard and rigid outer layer of the Earth . The lithosphere is subdivided into tectonic plates . The uppermost part of the lithosphere that chemically reacts to the atmosphere , hydrosphere and biosphere through the soil forming process is called the pedosphere . The lithosphere is underlain by the asthenosphere which is the weaker , hotter , and deeper part of the upper mantle . The Lithosphere - Asthenosphere boundary is defined by a difference in response to stress : the lithosphere remains rigid for very long periods of geologic time in which it deforms elastically and through brittle failure , while the asthenosphere deforms viscously and accommodates strain through plastic deformation . The study of past and current formations of landscapes is called geomorphology . </P>
layers of the earth with lithosphere and asthenosphere
layers of the earth with lithosphere and asthenosphere
Lithosphere - Asthenosphere boundary
Lithosphere - Asthenosphere boundary