Lithosphere of these xenoliths have been investigated by many methods, including analyses of abundances of isotopes of osmium and rhenium. Such studies have confirmed that mantle lithospheres below some cratons have persisted for periods in excess of 3 billion years, despite the mantle flow that accompanies plate tectonics. Lithosphere A lithosphere ( ["lithos"] for "rocky", and ["sphaira"] for "sphere") is the rigid, outermost shell of a terrestrial-type planet, or natural satellite, that is defined by its rigid mechanical properties. On Earth, it is composed of the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth for Best of E3 2004 Editors Choice. "The Battle for Middle-earth" was nominated for "X-Play"s "Best Strategy Game" and "PC Gamer US"s "Best Real-Time Strategy Game 2004" awards, both of which ultimately went to "". The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth is a real-time strategy video game developed by EA Los Angeles for Microsoft Windows. It was released in December 6, 2004 and is based on Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, in turn based on J. R. R. Tolkien's original novel. The game uses