Lithosphere vs. Hydrosphere: Land Masses Only in the Lithosphere

Lithosphere vs. Hydrosphere: Land Masses Only in the Lithosphere

The lithosphere is the rigid outer layer of the Earth, comprising the crust (continental and oceanic) and the uppermost mantle. It includes:

• Continental crust (land masses).
• Oceanic crust (seafloor)—but this is not the ocean water itself.

The oceans (water) belong to the hydrosphere—the discontinuous layer of liquid water (surface, groundwater, ice, vapor). The lithosphere and hydrosphere interact at the seafloor and coastlines, but they are distinct Earth systems. So, the lithosphere contains the solid Earth (including the basin that holds the ocean), not the ocean water.