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1 The lithosphere is composed of the crust, and some of the upper mantle. 2  Mature oceanic plate is approximately 80-100 km thick, of which, the upper 5-7 km is oceanic crust. 3  Continental plate is somewhat thicker, perhaps 150-200 km thick, and includes continental crust which varies from 5 to 70 km in thickness. At other convergent boundaries, oceanic plate meets other oceanic plate. 2  This results in an oceanic trench and a chain of volcanic islands known as an island arc. Japan, the Philippines and the Aleutians are examples of island arcs. 3  At some convergent boundaries, two continents collide.
Layers of the Earth. Remember to be able to tell the difference between the oceanic crust and the continental crusts. And remember that the lithosphere is composed of the earth's crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. The 3 main layers are the core, mantle and crust. The mantle is composed of the mesosphere and the asthenosphere and the uppermost part of the mantle. That uppermost part of the mantle is what is combined with the crust to make the lithosphere. Click on the picture above to go to an interactive website about the Earth's layers and plate tectonics.