Question

As ice sheets melt on land, they allow for the depressed land to rise back up in a process known as ______.

Multiple choice question.
a) a geologic recoil
b) isostatic rebound
c) land rally
d) topographic rejuvenation

Answer 1

b. Isostatic rebound is a geological process in which previously depressed land rises back up after the weight of ice sheets is removed. It is an important concept in understanding how changing ice masses affect the Earth's surface.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process described in the question is known as b. isostatic rebound. It is a geological process that occurs when areas of previously depressed land (such as land under ice sheets) rise back up after the weight of the ice is removed. This rebound happens because the Earth's crust behaves like a floating object on the underlying mantle.

For example, during the last ice age, large ice sheets covered parts of North America, causing the land to depress. As the ice melted and retreated, the land slowly rebounded over thousands of years.

Isostatic rebound is an important concept in understanding how changing ice masses affect the Earth's surface.