Submission

Instruction: mass is its density times its thickness,

Always save your files using the following whereas the mass of the water it displaces
format: is the density of water times reduced
thickness, given by the block’s thickness
SurnameInitials_Course_ActivityNo (see minus its elevation above the water.
example) Archimedes’ principle states that these
two must be equal:
PaguicanEM_Geol100_PracticingGeology1
1 wood density x wood thickness =
water density x water thickness =
The Principle of Isostasy: Why are water density x (wood thickness – wood
oceans deep and mountains high? elevation)

The two largest features of Earth’s We can solve the last algebraic equation
topography, as we saw in Module 1, are to find the elevation:
continents, which typically have
elevations of 0 to 1 km above sea level, Wood elevation =
and ocean basins, which typically have (1 - (wood density/water density)) x
elevations of 4 to 5 km below sea level. wood thickness
Why the difference? The answer comes
from the principle of isostasy, which The expression in brackets is called the
relates the elevations of continents and “buoyancy factor” because it tells us what
oceans to the densities of crustal and fraction of the wood will rise above the
mantle rocks. This amazingly useful water surface. A lightwood, such as young
principle not only explains much of pine, has only half the density of water, so
Earth’s topography, but also allows its buoyancy factor is
scientists to use changes in crustal
elevation over time to investigate the 1g / cm 3− 0.5 g / cm 3
properties of the mantle. = 0.5
1g / cm 3


Isostasy (from the Greek for “equal
The pine block will float high, with half of
standing”) is based on Archimedes
its volume out of the water. However, in
principle, which states that the weight of
the case of old oak, which has a density of
a floating solid is equal to the weight of
0.9 g/cm3, the buoyancy factor is only 0.1,
the fluid it displaces. (According to
so the block will float low, with only one-
legend, the Greek PhilosopherArchimedes
tenth of its thickness above the water.
discovered this principle over 2200 years

ago while sitting in his bath; boggled by
If continental crust (density = 2.8 g/cm3)
its implications, he rushed naked into the
floated alone on top of mantle material
street, yelling “Eureka, I found it!” Major
(3.3 g/cm3), the previous equation could
discoveries rarely provoke such
be modified to give continental elevation
enthusiastic responses from modern
by simply replacing “wood” with
scientists.)
“continent” and “water” with “mantle”.

However, we must account for the
Consider a block of wood floating in
oceanic crust (2.9 g/cm3) and the ocean
water. In each unit of area, the block’s
water (1.0 g/cm3) that also float on the 0.96 km above sea level
mantle. Since these two layers fill up the
basins around the continents, we must This result is consistent with the overall
subtract from the continental elevation distribution of Earth’s topography.
the height that each of those layers alone
would float above the mantle, given by its Because of isostasy, elevation is a
buoyancy factor times its thickness. The sensitive indicator of crustal thickness, so
isostatic equation for continents therefore regions of lower elevation must have
has three terms, one positive and two thinner crust (or higher average density),
negative: whereas regions of higher elevation, such
Continent elevation = as the Tibetan Plateau, must have thicker
(1-(continental crust crust (or lower average density).
density/mantle density)) x continental
crust thickness
- (1-(oceanic crust density/mantle Bonus Problem:
density)) x oceanic crust thickness The average elevation of the Tibetan
- (1-(oceanic water density/mantle Plateau is about 5 km above sea level. Use
density)) x oceanic water thickness the isostatic equation to compute the
average thickness of the crust in this
Using thicknesses of 33 km and 7 km for region, assuming that its average density
continental and oceanic crust, is 2.8 g/cm3.
respectively, and a water depth of 4.5 km,
we obtain Practicing Geology Essay from:
Understanding Earth; J. Krotzinger &
Continental elevation = (0.15 x 33 km) – T. Jordan, 2010, 6th Ed
(0.12 x 7.0 km) – (0.70 x 4.5 km) =