Post-glacial rebound (sometimes called
continental rebound) is the rise of land masses that were depressed by the huge weight of
ice sheets during the
last glacial period, through a process known as
isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound and isostatic depression are different parts of a process known as either
glacial isostasy,
glacial isostatic adjustment, or
glacioisostasy. Glacioisostasy is the solid Earth deformation associated with changes in ice mass distribution. The most obvious and direct affects of post-glacial rebound are readily apparent in parts of Northern
Eurasia,
Northern America,
Patagonia, and
Antarctica. However, through processes known as
ocean siphoning and
continental levering, the effects of post-glacial rebound on
sea level are felt globally far from the locations of current and former ice sheets.