Lithosphere for silicate rocks, and formula_4 is the age of the given part of the lithosphere. The age is often equal to L/V, where L is the distance from the spreading centre of mid-oceanic ridge, and V is velocity of the lithospheric plate. Oceanic lithosphere is less dense than asthenosphere for a few tens of millions of years but after this becomes increasingly denser than asthenosphere. This is because the chemically differentiated oceanic crust is lighter than asthenosphere, but thermal contraction of the mantle lithosphere makes it more dense than the asthenosphere. The gravitational instability of mature oceanic lithosphere has the
Lithosphere-Asthenosphere boundary extent of partial melt; these are factors that affect the rheological differences in the lithosphere and asthenosphere. The lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary represents a rheological boundary. Colder temperatures at Earth's shallower depths affect the viscosity and strength of the lithosphere. Colder material in the lithosphere resists flow while the "warmer" material in the asthenosphere contributes to its lower viscosity. The increase in temperature with increasing depth is known as the geothermal gradient and is gradual within the rheological boundary layer. The lithosphere is the portion of the thermal boundary layer commonly defined by its purely conductive heat transport. Throughout the rheological boundary,