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Which statement best explains why Earth's lithosphere is broken into tectonic plates?

a.The lithosphere cracks and deforms under the weight of the continents.

b.Earthquakes from cracks in the lithosphere that grow larger over time, creating new plates.

c.Shortly after Earth formed, the lithosphere cooled, causing it to contract and crack.

dThe brittle lithosphere cracks under pressure from the moving asthenosphere.


Sagot :

Answer:

( d ) The brittle lithosphere cracks under pressure from the moving asthenosphere.

Explanation:

~ The earth's crust refers to the outer layer of the planet earth . The surface of a planet is usually formed of less dense material than the deeper layers. Only 1/3 of the earth's crust is terrestrial , the rest is covered by oceans . The thickness of the earth's crust is between 10 to 30 miles.

The earth's crust, which is the upper part of the lithosphere , is divided into two layers. The top layer is continental , which is composed of granite . While under granite is a layer of hard rock called basalt .

On a semi-liquid planet , such as Earth , the earth's surface floats on top of the liquid inner layer. The crust seems to be often divided into pieces known as tectonic plates which due to the movement of molten magma beneath it, are able to move. This is a phenomenon of continental drift theory . In addition, collisions between two tectonic plates can produce volcanoes .

The Earth's crust is made up of rocks, minerals, soil and fossil fuels.