The rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust is called the ...

The rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust is called the ...

• A. Core
• B. Lithosphere
• C. Mantle
• D. Asthenosphere

Answer: (B)

The rigid outer shell of Earth, made up of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle, is called the lithosphere. This layer behaves as a solid and is broken into tectonic plates that sit on the more ductile mantle beneath, allowing their movement. The core sits at the center and is not the rigid outer shell. The mantle alone isn’t the term here, since the uppermost part plus the crust together form the rigid shell. The asthenosphere is the softer, pliable portion of the upper mantle beneath the lithosphere, not the rigid layer itself.

The rigid outer shell of Earth, made up of the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle, is called the lithosphere. This layer behaves as a solid and is broken into tectonic plates that sit on the more ductile mantle beneath, allowing their movement. The core sits at the center and is not the rigid outer shell. The mantle alone isn’t the term here, since the uppermost part plus the crust together form the rigid shell. The asthenosphere is the softer, pliable portion of the upper mantle beneath the lithosphere, not the rigid layer itself.