The Motion of a Viscous Fluid Under a Surface Load

Abstract

A formal solution is given for the motion of a highly viscous fluid when a symmetrical pressure is applied at the surface. This is applied to the subsidence of a cylindrical body of constant thickness and to the recovery of the fluid after removal of a load. Applying the latter case to the plastic recoil of the earth after the disappearance of the Pleistocene ice sheets, it is found that the geological data imply a kinematic viscosity of the order of 3×1021 c.g.s. units.