adverb
- in a manner relating to or determined by isostasy; with respect to the equilibrium of the Earth's crust and upper mantle
Usage: technical; geology
Examples
- The continental crust is isostatically balanced on the denser mantle below.
- Mountain ranges adjust isostatically over geological time as material is eroded.
- The region rebounded isostatically after the ice sheet melted.
- Sediment loading causes the crust to subside isostatically.
- The lithosphere responds isostatically to changes in surface mass distribution.