Postglacial Rebounds Measure the Viscosity of the Lithosphere

a. Elastic shortening - This deformation can occur freely and instantaneously.

b. Elastic bending - This deformation is not instantaneous because the mantle has to flow away first.

Fig. 1 The two different kind of elastic deformations of the lithosphere

Jozsef Home Page -----------------------Research -----------------------Postglacial Rebounds