Lithosphere

Real World Example

Imagine you're trying to carry a hard-boiled egg without breaking it. The egg's shell acts like the lithosphere, providing a rigid protective layer that surrounds the softer interior, just as the lithosphere encompasses the more pliable layers beneath it. In this analogy, the egg's shell represents the Earth's crust and upper mantle, which, like the lithosphere, are rigid and protect the dynamic, softer layers below, much like how the shell protects the egg's inside.