should this depth increase or decrease as mountains are worn down.?

Question

over short tome scales (thousands of years), isostatic uplift may temporarily raise mountain summits to higher elevations. However, over longer term (millions of years), continyed erosion will reduce these summits to porgressively lower elevation. As this happens does the concept of the isostatic equilibrium predict for the depth of the bae continental lithospher beneath mountains? Remember that mountains float on the mantle at the base of the continental lithosphere.

Answer 1

I agree with nuclear_science and Laura on this one.

Answer 2

Isostatic equilibrium is often best understood if you imagine an ice cube floating in a cup of water. The more ice that is floating above the surface of the water, logically, the more ice you have that has sunk below the surface. Conversely, if you have very little ice above the surface, there is very little ice below the surface of the water. The same concept holds true for mountains (like the ice) floating on the mantle (like the cup of water).

So after millions of years of your mountain eroding, there is much less mountain material above the mantle. Therefore, you know that there is less material sunk down into the mantle. The depth of the base will decrease as the mountain is eroded.

Answer 3

As the mountains are eroded down, the isostatic base will move upward causing the depth of the base of the lithosphere beneath the mountain to be shallower than it was before.

Answer 4

According to the theory it says that the height of the mountain is proportional to the depth of its root. That is height is equal to depth and that when the mountain erodes the materials sink inside thus causing or exerting a pressure in the athenosphere to uplift the mountain into its original postion and the materials so eroded replacing the uplift thus not decreasing or increasing any depth.

Answer 5

As mountains get eroded isostatic rebound causes them to uplift. The idea is that big mountains have big roots, and that it takes a long, long time to get back to a peneplain.

Answer 6

decrease. you are removing weight off the top by erosion, so the mountains won't float as deep into the mantle. kind of like when you take cargo off a ship.