Airy isostasy

Airy isostasy

[¦er·ē i′säs·tə·sē]

(geophysics)

A theory of hydrostatic equilibrium of the earth's surface which contends that mountains are floating on a fluid lava of higher density, and that higher mountains have a greater mass and deeper roots.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.