The lithosphere is made up of many plates. As scientists studied Earth's surface, they discovered that the lithosphere does not form a continuous shell around Earth. Instead, they found that the lithosphere is broken into many large and small slabs of rock called (tehk-TAHN-ihk).

Lithospheric plate is broken into small plates as known as the lithospheric plates

The lithosphere is the rigid outer layer of the Earth consisting of the crust and uppermost part of the mantle. This layer is broken into a number of plates known as the lithospheric plates.

Explanation:

- The lithosphere is divided into a number of large and small plates that move relative to each other. These plates are called lithospheric plates or tectonic plates.
- The lithospheric plates float on the underlying asthenosphere, which is a partially molten layer of the mantle.
- There are seven major lithospheric plates on Earth, which include the African Plate, Antarctic Plate, Eurasian Plate, North American Plate, South American Plate, Pacific Plate, and Indo-Australian Plate. There are also several minor plates such as the Arabian Plate, Caribbean Plate, Nazca Plate, and Philippine Plate.
- These plates move at a rate of a few centimeters per year due to convection currents in the mantle. The movement of these plates causes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountains.
- The boundaries between the lithospheric plates are called plate boundaries, which are of three types: divergent, convergent, and transform. At divergent boundaries, the plates move apart from each other, creating new crust. At convergent boundaries, the plates move towards each other, causing one plate to subduct under the other. At transform boundaries, the plates move past each other, causing earthquakes.
- The study of lithospheric plates and their movement is known as plate tectonics. This theory was proposed in the 1960s and has since been widely accepted by the scientific community.

In conclusion, the lithosphere is broken into a number of plates known as the lithospheric plates, which move relative to each other due to convection currents in the mantle. The movement of these plates causes geological phenomena such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountains.