No. The rock of the asthenosphere forms a ductile solid.
The movement of liquid rock in the asthenosphere is mainly driven by convection currents, a process where hot rock rises, cools, and then sinks back down. This flow is due to the heat generated by the Earth's core, causing the asthenosphere to slowly move and deform over time.
The tectonic plates float on the asthenosphere, which is a semi-liquid layer located beneath the lithosphere. The asthenosphere consists of partially molten rock that allows the rigid tectonic plates to move and interact with one another. It plays a key role in the process of plate tectonics.
The rock within the asthenosphere is in a semi-solid state, exhibiting properties of both solid and liquid. It is able to flow slowly over long periods of time due to high temperature and pressure, allowing tectonic plates to move on top of it.
They are chemically the basic same type of rock. Heat and pressure cause the rock to become more fluid as depth increases, so the solid rock (termed lithosphere) floats upon the more liquid rock of the asthenosphere.
More felsic than the original chemistry of the rock that was partially melted
This is known as the asthenosphere.
The rock in the asthenosphere is hotter and under higher pressure, which causes it to be partially molten and flow more easily compared to the solid rock above. This difference in behavior allows the asthenosphere to undergo plastic deformation and contribute to the movement of tectonic plates.
solid
The rock in the asthenosphere is under immense pressure from the overlying rock. Increased pressure raises the melting point of most substances.
the inner core
No. The asthenosphere is thought to contain only around 5% melt.
The soft layer of rock in the Earth's mantle is called the asthenoshere. The asthenoshere is a solid but able to flow slowly.