In the interior of continents the earth's crust is typically about 40km thick and the elevation is near sea level. In an area where the crust is 20km thick, isostasy would suggest the elevation in this area would be_______ unless the density changes from one area to the other.

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Isostasy is the principle that the Earth's crust floats on the mantle, and that the thickness of the crust is inversely proportional to the density of the crust. In this case, the crust is 20km thick, which is half the thickness of the crust in the interior of continents. This means that the density of the crust in this area must be twice the density of the crust in the interior of continents. If the density of the crust does not change from one area to the other, then the elevation in this area would be near sea level.

In the Interior of Continents the Earth's Crust Is Typically