 Sediment-lubricated viscous mountain model

A lower-viscosity basal sediment layer changes the plate coupling in viscous mountain spreading over an underthrust plate. With mountain thickness $H$ and sediment depth $d$, equal densities give one hydrostatic pressure gradient $G=\rho g{\partial }_x(H+d)$. Fluxes are $q_s=Ud-G(d^{2}H/2+d^3/3)/{\mu }_s$ and $q_m=UH-G(d{H}^2+d^{2}H/2)/{\mu }_s-G{H}^3/(3\mu )$. Separate conservation of mass laws determine each layer. Steady zero mountain flux and sediment influx $U{d}_{\infty }$ give contact height $3d_{\infty }$ and surface slope $2{\mu }_{s}U/(9\rho g{d}_{\infty }^2)$.