isostasy
or i·sos·ta·cy
[ahy-sos-tuh-see]
- Geology. the equilibrium of the earth's crust, a condition in which the forces tending to elevate balance those tending to depress.
- the state in which pressures from every side are equal.
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Origin of isostasy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
isostasy
- 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
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Word Origin
C19: iso- + -stasy, from Greek stasis a standing
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for isostasy
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
isostasy
[ī-sŏs′tə-sē]
- Equilibrium in the Earth's crust, in which an elevated part in one area is counterbalanced by a depressed part in another. Isostasy exists because the Earth's crust is relatively light compared to the denser mantle over which it lies, and therefore behaves as if it is floating. Areas of the Earth's crust rise or subside to accommodate added load (as from a glacier) or diminished load (as from erosion), so that the forces that elevate landmasses balance the forces that depress them.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.