Glacial isostasy refers to the response of the solid Earth to any changes in the planet’s ice sheets. The Earth is not a rigid body and it will deform when subjected to forces or to changes in surface loads. The nature of this deformation depends largely on the time scale, magnitude, and wavelength of the deforming force or load. Examples include the very rapid crustal fracturing at the time of earthquakes, the semi-diurnal and diurnal tidal deformations of the solid planet due to the changing gravitational attraction by the Sun and Moon, and the seasonal changes in the mass distribution within the atmosphere. Examples on longer, geological timescales include the redistribution of surface loads during erosion and sediment deposition or by the formation of large volcanic complexes. At the high frequency part of the spectrum, the response is primarily elastic but with decreasing frequency the response becomes increasingly viscous.
To a first approximation, the Earth is a layered body...
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Lambeck, K. (2009). Glacial Isostasy. In: Gornitz, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4411-3_93
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