Tectosphere

tectosphere

[′tek·tə‚sfir] (geology) The region of the earth's crust occupied by the tectonic plates.

Tectosphere

 

the outer shell of the earth. The tectosphere comprises the crust and upper mantle and is the principal region of occurrence of tectonic and magmatic processes. It is characterized by vertical and horizontal nonuniformity of the physical properties and composition of its constituent rocks.