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Geoid height versus age for symmetric spreading ridgesGeoid height-age relations have been extracted from Geos 3 altimeter data for large areas in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, southeast Indian, and southeast Pacific oceans. Except for the southeast Pacific area, geoid height decreases approximately linearly with the age of the ocean floor for ages less than about 80 m.y. in agreement with the prediction of an isostatically compensated thermal boundary layer model (Haxby and Turcotte, 1978). The geoid-age data for 0 to 80 m.y. are consistent with constant slopes of -0.094 + or - -0.131 + or - 0.041, and -0.149 + or - 0.028 m/m.y. for the South Atlantic, southeast Indian, and North Atlantic regions, respectively. For ages greater than 80 m.y. the geoid-age relation for the North Atlantic is nearly flat, indicating a reduction in the rate of boundary layer thickening with age. The uncertainties in the geoid slope-age estimates are positively correlated with spreading velocity.
Document ID
19810033740
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Sandwell, D.
(California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Schubert, G.
(California, University Los Angeles, Calif., United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
December 10, 1980
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 85
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
81A18144
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF EAR-77-15198
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSG-5263
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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