isostasy

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Related to isostasy: eustasy

i·sos·ta·sy

(ī-sŏs′tə-sē)

Equilibrium in the earth's crust such that the forces tending to elevate landmasses balance the forces tending to depress landmasses.

[iso- + Greek stasis, a standstill; see stā- in Indo-European roots + -y.]

i′so·stat′ic (ī′sō-stăt′ĭk) adj.

i′so·stat′i·cal·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

isostasy

(aɪˈsɒstəsɪ) or

isostacy

(Geological Science) the state of balance, or equilibrium, which sections of the earth's lithosphere (whether continental or oceanic) are thought ultimately to achieve when the vertical forces upon them remain unchanged. The lithosphere floats upon the semifluid asthenosphere below. If a section of lithosphere is loaded, as by ice, it will slowly subside to a new equilibrium position; if a section of lithosphere is reduced in mass, as by erosion, it will slowly rise to a new equilibrium position

[C19: iso- + -stasy, from Greek stasis a standing]

isostatic adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

i•sos•ta•sy

or i•sos•ta•cy

(aɪˈsɒs tə si)

n.

1. the equilibrium of the earth's crust, a condition in which the forces tending to elevate balance those tending to depress.

2. the state in which pressures from every side are equal.

[1889; iso- + -stasy < Greek -stasia; see stasis, -y³]

i•so•stat•ic (ˌaɪ səˈstæt ɪk) adj.

isostasy

the general equality of pressure in the crust of the earth. — isostatic, adj.

isostasy

The state of balance of the Earth’s crust as it floats on the denser mantle. Mountains are balanced by deep roots of crustal rock.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

isostasy - (geology) a general equilibrium of the forces tending to elevate or depress the earth's crust

geology - a science that deals with the history of the earth as recorded in rocks

equilibrium - a stable situation in which forces cancel one another

Translations

isostasia

izosztázia

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

Isostasy also causes an apparent decrease in sea level.

CLIMATE CHANCE IT'S not that COMPLICATED

Your lucky state of gravitational equilibrium is isostasy. CASSAVETES IF there's one thing that gets you wound up, it's those little wheels and springs you have to turn to make your watch work.

BLOKEOSCOPE; with Mystic Reg My mysterious ball will reveal your future ..

Thompson, 2000: A 4,700-year record of lake level and isostasy for Lake Michigan.

Resolving Hydrometeorological Data Discontinuities along an International Border

Sori solved the mystery by estimating the crust's depth and density, which meant he had to find out what kind of isostasy supported Mercury's crust.

Mercury's Thin, Dense Crust

This method removes sediment layers, correcting for decompaction, fluctuation of sea level and sea depth and, assuming Airy isostasy, adjusts for isostatic compensation.

3D Seismic Structural Analysis and Basin Modeling of the Matruh Basin, Western Desert, Egypt

Another idea was to use so-called apparent land uplift maps, which are based on repeated levellings and models of Scandinavian isostasy. Indeed, a series of gradually improving uplift maps have been available in the past (e.g.

The state-of-the-art models now include sophisticated transient 3D groundwater flow, sub-glacial recharge, permafrost evolution, glacial isostasy, ice loading, and sea-level change [19-27].

Representing Glaciations and Subglacial Processes in Hydrogeological Models: A Numerical Investigation

Global glacial isostasy and the surface of the ice-age Earth: The ICE-5G (VM2) model and GRACE.

Sea level change in the Western James Bay Region of subarctic Ontario: emergent land and implications for Treaty No. 9

(2012): The thermal state and strength of the lithosphere in the Spanish Central System and Tajo Basin from crustal heat production and thermal isostasy. Journal of Geodynamics 58, 29-37.

Strength of the Iberian intraplate lithosphere: Cenozoic deformations and seismicity

Sjoberg and Bagherbandi (2011) developed and applied a least-squares approach based on solving the Vening Meinesz-Moritz (VMM) inverse problem of isostasy (Sjoberg 2009).

Isostatic crustal thickness under the Tibetan plateau and Himalayas from satellite gravity gradiometry data/Espesor isostatico de la corteza bajo la meseta Tibetana y los Himalayas a partir de datos satelitales de gradiente gravitatoria

Even the immutable ever-lasting nature of the hills has been eroded away by the modern findings of geomorphology with its isostasy to explain whole mountains and continents rising, shifting, changing over time.