Post‐glacial rebound and asthenosphere viscosity in Iceland

Abstract

During the Weichselian glaciation Iceland was covered with an ice cap which caused downward flexure of the Earth's surface. The post‐glacial rebound in Iceland was very rapid, being completed in about 1000 years. The length of this time interval constrains the maximum value of asthenosphere viscosity in Iceland to be 1 × 10 19 Pa s or less. Further clarification of the ice retreat and uplift history may reveal lower viscosity. Current changes in the mass balance of Icelandic glaciers must lead to measureable elevation changes considering this low viscosity. Expected current elevation changes around the Vatnajökull ice cap are of the order of 1 cm per year, due to mass balance change in this century.