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Asthenosphere

Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Definition

The asthenosphere is the viscous mechanically weak-ductile region of the upper mantle of the Earth. It lies below the lithosphere, at depths between 100 and 200 km, and it is involved in the plate tectonic movements and isostatic adjustments. The heat is transmitted by convection and the thickness and viscosity of this layer controls the stress applied at the base of the lithosphere. This, in turn, influences the global tectonic style of the Earth and of any other terrestrial planet. The viscosity and the convective regime of the asthenosphere has also a control on the degassing history of a terrestrial planet and the evolution of its atmosphere.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GEOTOP Research Center for Geochemistry and Geodynamics, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, succ. Centre-Ville, H3C 3P8, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Daniele L. Pinti

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  1. Daniele L. Pinti
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Correspondence to Daniele L. Pinti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Pinti, D.L. (2014). Asthenosphere. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1864-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1864-4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Asthenosphere
    Published:
    19 January 2021

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1864-5

  2. Original

    Asthenosphere
    Published:
    02 May 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1864-4

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