<p>Absolutely. Lithospheric flexure due to volcanic edifice emplacement is well-documented. Not only do you get isostatic depression near the volcano, but further afield you actually can have uplift due to a "hinging" sort of effect. Lithospheric flexure drives the growth of underwater coral atolls through subsidence at a recently emplaced volcano (coral forms at a fixed depth beneath sea level), but later can lift the same coral above sea level due to far-field volcanic emplacement, turning the underwater atoll into an island. See the seminal work on this by <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/JB083iB03p01206/abstract">McNutt &amp; Menard (1978)</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-17T00:54:27.347Z
2015-07-17T01:06:01.273Z
2015-07-17T01:06:01.273Z
foobarbecue
<p>Yes, they can. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Trough">Hawaiian Trough</a> is a good example. The impact on thin oceanic crust is naturally larger/faster than on stiff continental crust. </p>

<p>Generally the lithosphere will always respond to load, even if it's sediments, ice or water. The process also works the other way, <a href="http://www.usu.edu/geo/pederson/Pederson%20et%20al.%202002%20GSA%20Today.pdf">exhumation by erosion</a> ease the load and cause uplift.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-07-16T20:54:55.683Z
2015-07-16T21:09:14.217Z
2015-07-16T21:09:14.217Z
user2821
<p>Isostatic depression is normally associated with glaciation, but can other geologic processes result in similar behavior of the lithosphere? Especially, can the weight of a volcano cause the surrounding lithosphere to sink. </p>

<volcanology><mantle><lithosphere>
Can volcanos cause isostatic depression
Sonya
# Can volcanos cause isostatic depression

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-07-16)

Isostatic depression is normally associated with glaciation, but can other geologic processes result in similar behavior of the lithosphere? Especially, can the weight of a volcano cause the surrounding lithosphere to sink.

**Tags:** volcanology, mantle, lithosphere


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-07-16. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

Yes, they can. [Hawaiian Trough](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Trough) is a good example. The impact on thin oceanic crust is naturally larger/faster than on stiff continental crust.

Generally the lithosphere will always respond to load, even if it's sediments, ice or water. The process also works the other way, [exhumation by erosion](http://www.usu.edu/geo/pederson/Pederson%20et%20al.%202002%20GSA%20Today.pdf) ease the load and cause uplift.


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-07-17. Score: 7

Absolutely. Lithospheric flexure due to volcanic edifice emplacement is well-documented. Not only do you get isostatic depression near the volcano, but further afield you actually can have uplift due to a "hinging" sort of effect. Lithospheric flexure drives the growth of underwater coral atolls through subsidence at a recently emplaced volcano (coral forms at a fixed depth beneath sea level), but later can lift the same coral above sea level due to far-field volcanic emplacement, turning the underwater atoll into an island. See the seminal work on this by [McNutt & Menard (1978)](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/JB083iB03p01206/abstract).


---

