The slow upward rise of the Earth's crust following the removal of the immense weight of an ice sheet, as the underlying mantle gradually flows back to relieve the depression the ice load once caused. Regions such as Scandinavia and Hudson Bay, freed of their last ice sheets roughly ten thousand years ago, are still measurably rising today as a result.
Facts
Partially Attested
Process TypeThe source calls it the rise of land masses after ice-sheet removal and assigns no atlas process class; tectonic (crustal vertical motion) is chosen as the closest, with glacial the alternative reading. First Proposed YearEarlier observations of falling sea level in Sweden (Anders Celsius marks) preceded this, so 1865 dates the theory linking the land rise to the ice age specifically. Timescale
Timescale (category) Timescale (category) TimescaleMany thousands of years 1 Scientific Consensus Year Connections
Shaped
Source Gulf of Bothnia - Wikipedia
Source Jutland (Wikipedia)
Source Land Bridge (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Post-glacial rebound, Wikipedia
Overview section, first sentence
Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period
Overview section, sentence on mantle viscosity
Due to the extreme viscosity of the mantle, it will take many thousands of years for the land to reach an equilibrium level.
Discovery section, Jamieson sentence
In 1865 Thomas Jamieson came up with a theory that the rise of land was connected with the ice age that had been first discovered in 1837.
Discovery section, De Geer sentence
The theory was accepted after investigations by Gerard De Geer of old shorelines in Scandinavia published in 1890.
View the SourceLand Bridge (Wikipedia)
Shaped: Land Bridge, LeadQuote, Shaped: Land Bridge, Lead
A land bridge can be created by marine regression, in which sea levels fall, exposing shallow, previously submerged sections of continental shelf; or when new land is created by plate tectonics; or occasionally when the sea floor rises due to post-glacial rebound after an ice age.
Gulf of Bothnia - Wikipedia
Shaped: Gulf of Bothnia, Formation statement for target 287686Quote, Shaped: Gulf of Bothnia, Formation statement for target 287686
The depth and surface area of the Gulf of Bothnia are constantly decreasing, as the land is rising after it had been pressed down by about 2,600 to 3,300 feet (790 to 1,010 meters) by the continental ice during last ice age.
Jutland (Wikipedia)
Shaped: Jutland Peninsula, Formation statement for target 287686Quote, Shaped: Jutland Peninsula, Formation statement for target 287686
Geologically, the Mid Jutland Region and the North Jutland Region as well as the Capital Region of Denmark are located in the north of Denmark which is rising because of post-glacial rebound.
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