Lithospheric flexure on Venus

Lithospheric failure on Venus

We develop a predictive model which has the ability to explain a postulated style of episodic plate tectonics on Venus, through the periodic occurrence of lithospheric subduction events. Present-day incipient subduction zones are associated with the existence of arcuate trenches on the Venusian lithosphere. These trenches resemble terrestrial subduction zones, and occur at the rim of coronae, u...

Lithospheric flexure and the evolution of the dichotomy boundary on Mars

[1] The boundary of the Martian crustal dichotomy in the eastern hemisphere is one of the most striking topographic features on the planet. The long wavelength topography of much of the boundary is expressed by a broad rise and an arched ramp that slopes downward from the southern highlands into the northern lowlands and often ends in a steep scarp. Lithospheric flexure of the southern highland...

Influence of External Loads on Interpretations of Lithospheric Flexure and Tectonics at Isidis

Mechanisms for Lithospheric Heat Transport on Venus: Implications for Tectonic Style and Volcanism

The tectonic and volcanic characteristics of the surface of Venus are poorly known, but these characteristics must be closely related to the mechanism by which Venus rids itself of internal heat. On the other solid planets and satellites of the solar system, lithospheric heat [ransport is dominated by one of three mechanisms: (1) plate recycling, (2) lithospheric conduction, and (3) hot spot vo...

Thin elastic shells with variable thickness for lithospheric flexure of one-plate planets

Planetary topography can either be modeled as a load supported by the lithosphere, or as a dynamical effect due to lithospheric flexure caused by mantle convection. In both cases the response of the lithosphere to external forces can be calculated with the theory of thin elastic plates or shells. On one-plate planets the spherical geometry of the lithospheric shell plays an important role in th...