Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Note: Isostasy \I*sos"ta*sy\, noun. [See Iso-; Stasis.]. (Websters 1913) |
| Domain | Definition |
Aerospace | A supposed equality existing in vertical sections of the earth, whereby the weight of any column from the surface of the earth to a constant depth is approximately the same as that of any other column of equal area, the equilibrium being maintained by plastic flow of material from one part of the earth to another. (references) |
Geography | Term used in geodesy to designate a condition of equilibrium between the surface and subterranean masses of the earth, as affecting gravity measurements. Source: European Union. (references) |
Mining | The condition of equilibrium, comparable to floating, of the units of the lithosphere above the asthenosphere. Crustal loading, as by ice, water, sediments, or volcanic flows, leads to isostatic depression or downwarping; removal of load leads to isostatic uplift or upwarping. Two differing concepts of the mechanism of isostasy are the Airy hypothesis of constant density and the Pratt hypothesis of constant thickness.See also:isostatic compensation. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Isostasy is a term used in geology to refer to the state of gravitational equilibrium between the Earth's lithosphere and asthenosphere such that the tectonic plates "float" at an elevation which depends on their thickness and density. It is invoked to explain how different topographic heights can exist at the Earth's surface. When a certain area of lithosphere reaches the state of isostasy, it is said to be in isostatic equilibrium. Certain areas (such as the Himalaya) are not in isostatic equilibrium, which has forced researchers to identify other reasons to explain their topographic heights (in the case of the Himalaya, by proposing that their elevation is being "propped-up" by the force of the impacting Indian plate).
In the simplest example, isostasy is the principle observed by Archimedes in his bath, where he saw that when an object was immersed, a volume of water equal to that of the object was displaced. On a geological scale, isostasy can be observed where the Earth's strong lithosphere exerts stress on the weaker asthenosphere which, over geological time flows laterally such that the load of the lithosphere is accommodated by height adjustments.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Isostasy."
| Domain | Title |
Books |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Mendenhall half-second pendulums Figure 2 of William Bowie's "Investigations of Gravity and Isostasy". Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Gravity observing apparatus Figure 3 of William Bowie's "Investigations of Gravity and Isostasy". Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Original form of Mendenhall half-second pendulum gravity measuring apparatus Figure 3 of William Bowie's "Investigations of Gravity and Isostasy". Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. | ||
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| "ISOSTASY" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "ISOSTASY" is used about 12 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 12 | 101,599 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
isostasy | 5 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "ISOSTASY"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | isostasi. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | isostasie. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | isostasia, maankuoren tasapainotila. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
French | isostasie. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Isostasie. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | ισοστασία. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | isostasia, isostasi. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | isostasyay isostasia. (various references) isostasia. (various references) tính đẳng tĩnh, sự đẳng tĩnh. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-i-o-s-s-s-t-y" | |
-2 letters: assist, stasis. | |
-3 letters: iotas, oasis, oasts, ossia, ostia, sassy, satis, sayst, sissy, soyas, stays, stoai, stoas, stoss. | |
-4 letters: aits, iota, oast, oats, ossa, sass, sati, says, sits, sots, soya, soys, stay, stoa, taos, tass, toss, toys. | |
-5 letters: ais, ait, ass, ays, its, oat, sat, say, sis, sit, sos, sot, soy, sty, tao, tas, tis. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-i-o-s-s-s-t-y" | |
+2 letters: hypostasis, symposiast. | |
+3 letters: symposiasts, tyrosinases. | |
+4 letters: astrophysics, disastrously, scyphistomas, soothsayings, spasmolytics, synarthrosis. | |
+5 letters: blastomycosis, forestaysails, sycophantisms. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Usage: Commercial 3. Images: Photo Album 4. Usage Frequency | 5. Expressions: Internet 6. Translations: Modern 7. Anagrams 8. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
