State of gravitational equilibrium between Earth's crust and mantle
Isostasy (Greek ísos 'equal', stásis 'standstill') or isostatic equilibrium is the state of gravitational equilibrium between Earth's crust (or lithosphere) and mantle such that the crust "floats" at an elevation that depends on its thickness and density. This concept is invoked to explain how different topographic heights can exist at Earth's surface. Although originally defined in terms of continental crust and mantle,[1] it has subsequently been interpreted in terms of lithosphere and asthenosphere, particularly with respect to oceanic island volcanoes,[2] such as the Hawaiian Islands.
Although Earth is a dynamic system that responds to loads in many different ways,[3] isostasy describes the important limiting case in which crust and mantle are in static equilibrium. Certain areas (such as the Himalayas and other convergent margins) are not in isostatic equilibrium and are not well described by isostatic models.
The general term isostasy was coined in 1882 by the American geologist Clarence Dutton.[4][5][6]
^33.Spasojevic, S., and Gurnis, M., 2012, Sea level and vertical motion of continents from dynamic Earth models since the Late Cretaceous: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 96, no. 11, p. 2037–2064.
^13. Foulger, G.R., Pritchard, M.J., Julian, B.R., Evans, J.R., Allen, R.M., Nolet, G., Morgan, W.J., Bergsson, B.H., Erlendsson, P., Jakobsdottir, S., Ragnarsson, S., Stefansson, R., Vogfjord, K., 2000. The seismic anomaly beneath Iceland extends down to the mantle transition zone and no deeper. Geophys. J. Int. 142, F1–F5.
^Watts, A. B. (2001). Isostasy and flexure of the lithosphere. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521622727.
^Dutton, Clarence (1882). "Physics of the Earth's crust; discussion". American Journal of Science. 3. 23 (April): 283–290. Bibcode:1882AmJS...23..283D. doi:10.2475/ajs.s3-23.136.283. S2CID 128904689.
^Orme, Antony (2007). "Clarence Edward Dutton (1841–1912): soldier, polymath and aesthete". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 287 (1): 271–286. Bibcode:2007GSLSP.287..271O. doi:10.1144/SP287.21. S2CID 128576633.
^Longwell, Chester R. (1958). "Clarence Edward Dutton" (PDF). Washington D.C.: National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
Isostasy (Greek ísos 'equal', stásis 'standstill') or isostatic equilibrium is the state of gravitational equilibrium between Earth's crust (or lithosphere)...
In geology, lithospheric flexure (also called regional isostasy) is the process by which the lithosphere (rigid, thin outer layer of the Earth) bends under...
subsidence of Earth's surface (Isostasy) Thermal-isostasy (temperature/density changes in Earth's interior) Local effect Glacio-isostasy (loading or unloading...
rift between blocks using the rheology of the layers and the forces of isostasy. Early bent plate models predicting fractures and fault movements have...
Lake Bonneville was the largest Late Pleistocene paleolake in the Great Basin of western North America. It was a pluvial lake that formed in response to...
Role of Isostatic Movements". In Nils-Axel Mörner (ed.). Earth Rheology, Isostasy and Eustasy. New York: John Wiley & Sons. metamorphic rock classification...
elevations or orography) to fixed landforms. However, given plate tectonics and isostasy, there is no system in which all geographic features are fixed. Yet the...
has been exposed by the sea by a relative fall in sea levels by either isostasy or eustasy.[not verified in body] Emergent coastline are the opposite of...
1882 review in the American Journal of Science, Dutton coined the term "isostasy". He later stated: "In an unpublished paper I have used the terms isostatic...
"The formation of Valles Marineris: 3. Trough formation through super-isostasy, stress, sedimentation, and subsidence". Journal of Geophysical Research...
the gravity of Earth) and it varies. In general, topography-controlled isostasy drives the short wavelength free-air gravity anomalies. At the same time...
planation to studying which relationships affect denudation–including uplift, isostasy, lithology, and vegetation–and measuring denudation rates around the world...
accentuates subsidence and thus amplifies basin development as a result of isostasy. The long-term preserved geologic record of a sedimentary basin is a large...
relief map) Geographic information system (GIS) Geomorphometry Hypsometry Isostasy Physical terrain model Relief ratio Subterranea Terrain awareness and warning...
was an eminent United States geodesist. His work involved the study of isostasy and the construction of a reference ellipsoid for approximating the figure...
sea level. But, as the ice melts, the land beneath will rebound through isostasy and ultimately rise above sea level.[citation needed] The largest and highest...
region. Isostatic depression is a phase of glacial isostasy, along with isostatic rebound. Glacial isostasy is the Earth's response to changing surface loads...
B. “Isostasy and Flexure of the Lithosphere.” Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, Cambridge Free Press 2001. Watts, A. B. “Isostasy and Flexure...
Earth's crust as the ice load and eroded sediment is removed (also called isostasy or glacial rebound). In some cases, this rebound is faster than sea level...
southeast-northwest diagonal profile through Tibet and its consequences for the glacial isostasy and Ice Age cycle". Kuhle, M. (1988). "The Pleistocene Glaciation of Tibet...
ranges is usually related to the thickness of crust. This results from the isostasy associated with orogeny (mountain formation). The crust is thickened by...
becomes denser and sinks lower into Earth's mantle, through the process of isostasy. In addition, the erosive effects of waves and currents are found mostly...
which takes into account the geometry of the rift faults and the flexural isostasy of the upper part of the crust. Some rifts show a complex and prolonged...
Beckett 1874, p.75-79 Vočadlo, Lidunka. "Gravity, the shape of the Earth, isostasy, moment of inertia". Retrieved 5 November 2012. Baker, Lyman A. (Spring...
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