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asthenosphere

Pronunciation: /əsˈθɛnəsfɪə/
Definition of asthenosphere

noun

Geology
  • the upper layer of the earth’s mantle, below the lithosphere, in which there is relatively low resistance to plastic flow and convection is thought to occur.

Derivatives

asthenospheric

adjective

Origin:

early 20th century: from Greek asthenēs 'weak' + sphere

asthenosphere in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of asthenosphere in the US English dictionary