Evolution of large Venusian volcanoes: Insights from coupled models of lithospheric flexure and magma reservoir pressurization

The growth and evolution of large volcanic edifices on Venus should reflect interactions between local magma reservoir‐induced stresses and broader‐scale stresses resulting from flexure of the lithosphere beneath the edifice load. Here, we explore the relationship between magma movement in the lithosphere and the flexural stress state via static, gravitationally loaded, axisymmetric finite element models. We find that reservoirs situated in the lower (extensional) lithosphere fail at the bottom and are therefore not viable long‐term conduits for upward magma transport. Furthermore, for high‐stress conditions (e.g., large edifices or thin lithospheres), chambers in the lowermost lithosphere exceed the failure criterion even before pressurization and are therefore unstable. In contrast, magma chambers located in the upper (compressional) lithosphere fail at or somewhat above the reservoir midsection, promoting lateral sill injection; continued failure in this mode would tend to produce oblate magma chambers with zones of intrusion at their margins. Reservoirs near the flexural neutral plane require the greatest overpressure to reach failure, emplacing cone sheets that transition to sills further from the chamber. The out‐of‐plane orientation of principal extensional stresses in the flexed lower lithosphere predicts the presence of radial dikes that are likely the main conduits for any subsequent magma ascent from the mantle melt source region. Our results also explain how the evolving stress state in the lithosphere tends to redirect magma passage over time: magma ascending into the lithosphere beneath the edifice is diverted to lateral sills in the upper lithosphere, inhibiting summit eruptions and possibly shifting eruption locations to the lower flanks at and beyond the distal margins of an oblate chamber or sill complex. We apply these results to interpret the observed structure and tectonism of Sapas Mons, Venus, in terms of flexurally controlled intrusive processes.