What is the difference between the lithosphere and asthenosphere? At what depth does the lithosphere - asthenosphere boundary occur? Is this above or below the Moho? Is the asthenosphere entirely liquid?

Question

Keira Wilcox

Geography

4 September, 03:45

What is the difference between the lithosphere and asthenosphere? At what depth does the lithosphere - asthenosphere boundary occur? Is this above or below the Moho? Is the asthenosphere entirely liquid?

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Answers (2)

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Alayna Armstrong · Answer 1

Difference Between the lithosphere and asthenosphere:

Lithosphere is a solid outermost shell of the earth planet and composed of three layers o crust, mantle and core. The viscous and ductile region that lies under the lithosphere is called asthenosphere. So the difference between both of these layers is

" Lithosphere is a solid layer as it composed of rigid materials and the temperature is relatively cool then that of asthenosphere. Asthenosphere composed of viscous melted material and this region has high temperature and pressure."

Depth of lithosphere & asthenosphere boundaries:

The boundary of lithosphere and asthenosphere lies at the depth of about 100 to 150 km.

Above or below the Moho:

Moho lies at the depth of about 35 Km so the boundary of lithosphere and asthenosphere lies below the Moho.

Is the asthenosphere entirely liquid:

Although asthenosphere has a flowing ability but we can not say that its a liquid. Asthenosphere is composed of melted rocks so it lies in the category of solid. Its a viscous melted material. Its not entirely a liquid.

Ronald Kaiser · Answer 2

The difference between the lithosphere and asthenosphere? At what depth does the lithosphere - asthenosphere boundary occur? Is this above or below the Moho? Is the asthenosphere entirely liquid? It lies below the lithosphere, at depths between approximately 80 and 200 km (50 and 120 miles) below the surface. The lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is usually referred to as LAB. The asthenosphere is almost solid, although some of its regions could be molten

Explanation:

Both the lithosphere and asthenosphere are part of Earth and are made of similar material. Lithosphere is made up of Earth's outermost layer, the crust, and the uppermost portion of the mantle. In comparison, the asthenosphere is the upper portion of Earth's mantle; The lithosphere is everything above the part of the mantle which can flow and the asthenosphere is everything including and below. the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary occurs at 1280 C approximately at 150 km.