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DYNAMICS OF PLATE INTERIORS, GEODYNAMICS SERIES, VOL. 1, PAGES 111–128, 1980

Models of glacial isostasy and relative sea level

W. R. Peltier

Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario

Abstract

The interpretation of relative sea level data from the Quaternary period demands a global model of the phenomenon of glacial isostatic adjustment. The main parameter of such a model is the effective viscosity of the planetary mantle and the procedure for determining this parameter from the observations is a problem in the theory of inference. The purpose of this article is to provide a non-mathematical description of the main physical ingredients that an appropriate model must include if it is to prove an effective vehicle for the interpretation of the global data set. An attempt is made to provide an historical perspective of the way in which such models have evolved, particularly during the past decade, and to trace the simultaneous revisions of our view of the effective viscosity of the interior which has accompanied the evolution of theory.

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Citation: Peltier, W. R., (1980), Models of glacial isostasy and relative sea level, in Dynamics of Plate Interiors, Geodyn. Ser., vol. 1, edited by A. W. Bally et al., pp. 111-128, AGU, Washington, D. C.

Copyright 1980 by the American Geophysical Union.