isostasy

equilibrium of adjacent blocks of brittle crust floating on underlying upper mantle

outer layers of Earth divided into 2 based on their strength lithosphere: rigid, solid outer layer (brittle) --strong crust and uppermost mantle asthenosphere: underlying denser, heat-softened, partially melted (plastic) -- weak upper mantle DO NOT CONFUSE WITH CRUST AND MANTLE WHICH ARE BASED ON COMPOSITION
transition from lithosphere to asthenosphere reflects temperature and rocks response to increased temperature

isostasy
equilibrium of adjacent blocks of brittle crust floating on underlying upper mantle
i.e. mass above a certain depth must be the same think of wood blocks in water
block that sticks up higher also extends farther in water density of wood < density of water compensation depth for masses to be the same above the isostatic compensation depth: mass in column 1 = mass in column 2 masses in both columns in 2 dimensions equal (density wood x thickness wood) + (density water x thickness water) density water > density wood wood that replaces water in the column must be thicker than water it replaces

isostasy
same concept as wood blocks applies to lithosphere blocks (crust and uppermost mantle) floating on asthenosphere above the compensation depth
continental crust is less dense than oceanic crust
crust is less dense than mantle

compensation depth

mass in column 1 = mass in column 2 = mass in column 3 density mantle > density oceanic crust > density continental crust if more mantle in column -- column will be thinner if more continental crust in column -- column will be thicker implication is that mountains have roots -- crust is thicker below them
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isostasy
a more detailed view of density differences

include sea water & sediments

isostasy
leads to isostatic adjustment if mass is redistributed
note mountain and crustal root below it erosion redistributes rock from mountain (high) to sediment deposited in basin (low) X A

crust
mantle

less mass on mountain causes uplift of crust below mountain (thins and rises) and A B C subsidence of basin as mountain erodes, as mass of column becomes shorter thus, sediment is added mantle mass in column increases over time effect on mass columns
(mass A = mass B = mass C)

C
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isostasy
see isostatic adjustment today from load of glaciers on crust during last glaciation and unloading from melting
(possible because response of asthenosphere is slow)

process is called post-glacial rebound

Density Variations of Earth Materials Thus far it sounds like a fairly simple proposition to estimate the variation in density of the earth due to local changes in geology. There are, however, several significant complications. The first has to do with the density contrasts measured for various earth materials. The densities associated with various earth materials are shown in Table 1. Notice that the relative variation in rock density is quite small, = 0:8 gm=cm3, and there is considerable overlap in the measured densities. Hence, a knowledge of rock density alone will not be sufficient to determine rock type. This small variation in rock density also implies that the spatial variations in the observed gravitational acceleration caused by geologic structures will be quite small and thus difficult to detect.

Factors Influencing the Density of Rocks: Density (p) is defined as the mass (m) of a body per unit volume (V): p= m / V The unit for density is kg/m3, but g/cm3 is commonly used. Three factors control the density of rocks (Nettleton, 1971): 1-The grain density of the particles forming the rock mass, controlled by their elemental composition and by the internal bonding within the structure (Schn, 1996). 2-The porosity, determined by the size and abundance of cavities or pores between the mineral grains making up the rock. Porosity, , is defined as the ratio of the volume of pore space, Vp, to the bulk volume, V, of the rock: = Vp / V = 1 - Vm / V, where Vm is the volume of solid matrix substance (Schn, 1996). Porosity is a dimensionless quantity, being expressed as either a decimal fraction or a percentage. 3-The fluid in the pore space. Porous sediments are readily compressible, which results in a dependence of density on pressure (i.e. depth of burial). Igneous rocks are typically denser than sedimentary rocks because their minerals are more mafic (higher percentages of Fe and Mg compared to Si, the principal component of sedimentary rocks), and their porosity is generally lower (Schn, 1996). The porosity of igneous rocks is generally so small it can be ignored. However, weathering processes may decrease the density of igneous rocks by altering the minerals to less dense varieties, and indirectly increasing their porosity. 8

The most important geologic parameter is the density contrast:

Density contrast = Density of the target Ambient density

Re solution Density Contrast

Gravity

High Gravity Distance Distance Distance

2.1

2.1

2.1 2.4 2.2

2.7

Density contrast =0.6

Density contrast =0.3

Density contrast =0.1

The geoids: Represent a surface over which the gravitational field has equal value and it is called an equipotential surface. Note: The sea level surface if undisturbed by winds or tides is known as Geoids. It is characterize by: 1- Always horizontal. 2- Normal to the direction of gravity. 3- The irregular distribution of mass especially near the surface will warps the geoids so that it is not coincides to the ellipse of rotation.

Ellipse of rotation

Continent

Ellipse of rotation

Sphere warping Geoids

ocean

3.1

Excess mass

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The actual shape of the earth

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