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Isostasy As A Description Of The Earth's Balance, The Theory Of Isostasy

Isostasy - The Theory Of Isostasy

earth crust density hypothesis

Scientists and mathematicians began to speculate on the thickness of the earth's crust
and distribution of land masses in the mid 1800s. Sir George Biddell Airy (1801-1892)
assumed that the density of the crust is the same throughout. Because the crust is not
uniformly thick, however, the Airy hypothesis suggests that the thicker parts of the crust
sink down into the mantle while the thinner parts float on it. The Airy hypothesis also
describes the earth's crust as a rigid shell that floats on the mantle, which, although it is
liquid, is more dense than the crust.

John Henry Pratt (1809-1871) also proposed his own hypothesis stating that the
mountain ranges (low density masses) extend higher above sea level than other masses
of greater density. Pratt's hypothesis rests on his explanation that the low density of
mountain ranges resulted from expansion of crust that was heated and kept its volume
but at a loss in density.

Clarence Edward Dutton (1841-1912), an American seismologist and geologist, also

studied the tendency of the earth's crustal layers to seek equilibrium. He is credited with
naming this phenomenon "isostasy."

A third hypothesis developed by Finnish scientist Weikko Aleksanteri Heiskanen (1895-

1971) is a compromise between the Airy and Pratt models. But it is the Hayford-Bowie
concept that has been most widely accepted. John Fillmore Hayford (1868-1925) and
John William Bowie (1872-1940) were American geodesists who studied gravitational
anomalies (irregularities) and first began surveying gravity in the oceans. Geodesists, or
specialists in geodesy, are mathematicians who study the size, shape, and measurement
of the earth and of Earth forces, like gravity. Hayford and Bowie were able to prove that
the anomalies in gravity relate directly to topographic features. This essentially
validated the idea of isostasy, and Hayford and Bowie further established the concept of
the depth of isostatic compensation. Both gentlemen published books on isostasy and
geodesy. Hayford was the first to estimate the depth of isostatic compensation and to
establish that Earth is an oblate sphere (a bowed sphere) rather than a true sphere.

Resources
Books

Marshall, Clare P., and Rhodes W. Fairbridge. Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Boston:

Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999.

Skinner, Brian J., and Stephen C. Porter. The Dynamic Earth: An Introduction to
Physical Geology. 4th ed. John Wiley & Sons, 2000.

Woodhead, James A. Geology. Boston: Salem Press, 1999.

Gillian S. Holmes

KEY TERMS
.........................................

Batholith
A huge mass of igneous rock that is intruded (forced by pressure) into the
earth's crust but may not reach the surface.

Convection current
Massive currents within the semi-molten mantle of the earth that move
due to differences in temperature.

Density
The amount of mass of a substance per unit volume.
Depth of compensation
The line at which the earth's land masses above the line are balanced by
those below.

Geodesy
The mathematics of measurements of the earth including its size, shape,
and location of points on its surface.

Geosyncline
A massive downward bend in the earth's crust; the opposite of an anticline,
which is a huge upward flex in the earth's surface.

Gravity
The force of attraction of Earth's mass for objects near it.

Hydrologic cycle
The continuous, interlinked circulation of water among its various
compartments in the environment.

Magma
Molten rock within the earth. When magma reaches the surface, it cools
and forms igneous rock.

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almost 7 years ago

Ahmad Ammar
Superb source of basic knowledge.

about 3 years ago

Hrishikesh Sen.
geograsphy hons

about 2 years ago

zaomoh eric
isostasy

about 3 years ago

Hrishikesh Sen.
geograsphy hons

almost 3 years ago

Masunga Jandika
Isostasy
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