A method for computing the deformation of the crust caused by the filling of large lakes

The load placed on the Earth's surface by the filling of large lakes is sufficient to cause deformation of the Earth's crust. The extent of such deformation is investigated. The analysis of the model presented is extened to allow for changes in the elastic parameters with depth. For Lake Gordon, a large man-made lake to be constructed in the Southwest of Tasmania, the maximum displacement that will be caused in the Earth's surface by the filling of the lake (a load of 1.5 × 1010 tons) is calculated to be about 7 cm.