Postglacial Motions and Gravity Field Variations within the Baltic Shield

The paper considers vertical crustal displacements and temporal variations of the gravity field within the Baltic Shield based on a joint analysis of observations by global navigation satellite systems and data from the GRACE/GRACE-FO satellite missions. An increased rate of gravity anomalies variations versus crustal uplift rate is noted at the junction of the Baltic Shield with the Russian Plate compared to the central part of Scandinavia. This feature is associated with the difference in geodynamic settings, viz., a band of lateral compression in the junction zone vs. extension in the central region of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Quantitative estimates are proposed for excess gravity anomalies based on the modeled lateral compression of the lithospheric layer in line with horizontal velocities of the Earth’s surface motions based on the available GNSS data.