Postglacial rebound with a non‐Newtonian upper mantle and a Newtonian lower mantle rheology

We have employed a composite rheology consisting of both linear and nonlinear creep mechanisms which are connected by a ‘transition’ stress. Background stress due to geodynamical processes is included. For models with a non‐Newtonian upper‐mantle overlying a Newtonian lower‐mantle the temporal responses of the displacements can reproduce those of Newtonian models. The average effective viscosity profile under the ice‐load at the end of deglaciation turns out to be the crucial factor governing mantle relaxation. This can explain why simple Newtonian rheology has been successful in fitting the uplift data over formerly glaciated regions. Copyright 1992 by the American Geophysical Union.