Open AccessOn the Isostatic Equilibrium of the Earth's Crust
Author(s) -
Artyushkov E. V.
Publication year - 1967
Publication title -
geophysical journal of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0016-8009
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1967.tb06242.x
Subject(s) - asthenosphere , geology , crust , mantle (geology) , geophysics , post glacial rebound , geomorphology , lithosphere , seismology , tectonics , ice sheet
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 1–10 2 cm/year. In conclusion some consequences of glacio‐isostatic motions for periglacial regions are considered.