Open AccessOn the response of the ocean lithosphere to sea‐mount loads from Geos 3 satellite radar altimeter observations
Author(s) -
Cazenave Anny,
Lago Bernard,
Dominh Kien,
Lambeck Kurt
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
geophysical journal of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0016-8009
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1980.tb02618.x
Subject(s) - lithosphere , geoid , geology , altimeter , geodesy , isostasy , satellite geodesy , ocean surface topography , seismology , satellite , radar altimeter , geophysics , volcano , climatology , tectonics , geodetic datum , aerospace engineering , engineering , measured depth
Summary Short wavelength anomalies in the geoid, derived from Geos 3 satellite radar altimeter data, have been investigated in the southern Indian Ocean and in French Polynesia. A number of these anomalies, associated with sea‐mounts or volcanic islands, can be explained by regional isostatic compensation models, yielding estimates of the flexural rigidity and the effective elastic thickness H of the oceanic lithosphere. This thickness appears to be about one third of the seismic estimates for this thickness. The H also indicates some age dependence, compatible with the |Mrage models of the thermal lithosphere. These results are in agreement with the results of previous studies on the flexure of the lithosphere.