Dynamics of the solid earth

The illustration shows a deformed map of the earth with bulges in Scandinavia and north-east Canada with Greenland in between above the centrally positioned North Atlantic. The earth map is shifted downwards and allows a view of the earth's interior, which is shown as a sliced sphere. The deformation of the earth's surface is repeated as contours on the surface. In terms of colour, the cutaway shows a heterogeneously structured mantle between the thin lithospheric shell on the surface and the hot core of the earth, which is shown as a light yellow sphere on the inside.
Connection between surface deformations and the earth's interior. (GFZ/Künsting)

The reaction of the solid earth to loads acting on its surface is essentially determined by its mechanical material properties, so that close cooperation is maintained with material sciences and geodynamic as seismological knowledge is incorporated.

 

The modeling of processes in the Earth's interior caused by surface loading contributes integratively to the understanding of the Earth system. It thus makes important contributions to understand the dynamics of separate subsystems and to interpret and quantify geodetically observed deformations and gravity changes.

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Deformation processes of the solid earth and their measurable effects.
Deformation processes of the solid earth and their measurable effects. (Dr. Volker Klemann, GFZ)

... i.e. how the Earth reacts to glacial and oceanic loads, rotational variations and tides. The time scales considered range from less than one year to several hundred thousand years.

 

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Two blocks arranged diagonally behind each other with the lithosphere in brown at the top and the mantle in grey below. The front block with the word “Loading” shows a parabolic ice load pressing down on the Earth below. The rear block with the word “Rebound” has no load, and a lifting movement can be seen in the still depressed Earth. In addition, red arrows in the lithosphere indicate changes in its elastic state. In the mantle below, red arrows indicate the direction of material flow, with a flow away from the deforming lithosphere during loading at the front and a return flow of material during unloading at the rear.
Schematic representation of how the lithosphere (brown) reacts elastically and the Earth's mantle (grey) reacts viscously to the changing load of an ice sheet. (GFZ/Künsting)

GIA describes the response of the solid Earth and the sea level to glacial cycles over the last million years and includes the response to melting glaciers over the last few centuries up to present day an future changes.

 

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In this topic we concentrate on joint analysis of gravity, seismic and other geophysical, geodetic and geological data aiming for construction of comprehensive models of the lithosphere and underlying mantle and finding a connection of these models with ongoing tectonic processes and geodynamics.

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