On the Isostatic Equilibrium of the Earth's Crust
A brief physical analysis of the postglacial uplift of Fennoscandia is presented. It permits one to detect the great decrease in viscosity in a relatively thin layer of the upper mantle substance. The existence of this layer, i. e. the asthenosphere, has been theoretically predicted by many authors...
| Published in: | Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford University Press
1967
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| Online Access: | http://gji.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/14/1-4/251 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.1967.tb06242.x |
| Summary: | A brief physical analysis of the postglacial uplift of Fennoscandia is presented. It permits one to detect the great decrease in viscosity in a relatively thin layer of the upper mantle substance. The existence of this layer, i. e. the asthenosphere, has been theoretically predicted by many authors on the basis of the fundamental principals of solid state physics. An equation of isostatic motions is derived and it has been established that they are due to the flows in the asthenosphere. The presence of the asthenosphere near the Earth's surface affects many geological phenomena. In particular, the platform motions are supported by the flows in the asthenosphere, which velocities must be of the order of 1–102 cm/year. In conclusion some consequences of glacio-isostatic motions for periglacial regions are considered. |
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