| Term: | Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) |
| Definition: | A change of glacier surface elevation due to vertical motion of the glacier bed under the influence of mass redistribution in the underlying solid Earth. Present-day mass redistribution in the Earth's interior is dominated by continuing adjustment to the redistribution of surface water at the end of the most recent ice age. Corrections are also required for vertical motions of tectonic origin in some regions, such as the Karakoram. |