lithosphere

• lithosphere is the rigid, rocky outer layer of earth
• lithosphere is made of brittle crust and the upper mantle
• lithosphere is the coolest part of earth
• lithosphere is around 60 miles in depth
• lithosphere is subdivided horizontally into tectonic plates (massive slab of solid rock)
• slow convection currents deep within the mantle, are believed to cause tectonic plates lateral movement
• lithospher includes the rocks, soils and mineral resources founf in the crust and upper mantle
• some resources are replaced slowly by geochemical cycles, hence their exploitation is often unsustainable
• minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic solid substances with definite chemical composition
• mineral resources extracted from the lithosphere are non renewable (they are reformed too slowly to be replaced within a sustainable timescale)
• types of minerals : metallic, non metallic and energy minerals
• coal is used for fuel, etc in electricity generation, its property of high energy content enables it to do this
• aluminium is used for packaging, vehicles and construction, because it is malleable, strong with a low density and is a conductor of heat and electricity
• slate is used for roof slates, it is waterproof and splits to form sheets