The Eastern Branch is characterized by greater volcanic activity while the Western Branch is characterized by much deeper basins that contain large lakes and lots of sediment (including Lakes Tanganyika, Recently, basalt eruptions and active crevice formation have been observed in the Ethiopian Rift which permits us to directly observe the initial formation of ocean basins on land. It is thought that the rifting on the continent is driven by mantle plumes from deep in the earth, thinning crust so it may eventually form a new mid-ocean ridge as eastern Africa is split from the continent. This area is part of the Great Rift Valley, where Africa is slowly pushed and pulled apart by uprising material in earth's mantle. Most current geological thinking holds that bulges are initiated by mantle plumes under the continent heating the overlying crust and causing it to expand and fracture.Ideally the dominant fractures created occur in a pattern consisting of three fractures or fracture zones radiating from a point with an angular separation of 120 degrees. The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa.The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. The East African Rift (EAR) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The Great Rift Valley is a series of connected rift valleys. The valleys, cliffs, and lakes may have played a role in bringing together different species in a variety of environments which would spur evolutionary change. This environmental pressure could have been the drive needed for our ancestors to become bipedal and more brainy as they attempted to adapt to these shifting climates (see Geotimes 2008 articles: The East African Rift System is a complicated system of rift segments which provide a modern analog to help us understand how continents break apart. This is almost exactly analogous to the rift Ethiopia, and in fact, some geologists have suggested that the Kenya dome is the same hotspot or plume that gave rise to the initial Ethiopian rifting. East African lakes, group of lakes located in East Africa. In 1972 it was proposed that the EAR was not caused by tectonic activity, but rather by differences in crustal density. In addition there are several well-defined but definitely smaller structures, called grabens, that have rift-like character and are clearly associated geologically with the major rifts. Whatever the cause, it is clear that we have two rifts that are separated enough to justify giving them different names, but near enough to suggest that they are genetically related.What else can we say about the Ethiopian and Kenya Rifts? ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. East African Rift System, also called Afro-Arabian Rift Valley, one of the most extensive rifts on Earth ’s surface, extending from Jordan in southwestern Asia southward through eastern Africa to Mozambique. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox.Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. She recently produced a geologic map of the southern half of the Kenya Rift which may be found at There, volcanism, earthquakes and fracturing of … It is thought that these rifts are generally following old sutures between ancient continental masses that collided billions of years ago to form the African craton and that the split around the Lake Victoria region occurred due to the presence of a small core of ancient As is the case in Ethiopia, a hot spot seems to be situated under central Kenya, as evidenced by the elevated topographic dome there (Figure 1). The East African Rift is a geologically active zone where the forces of plate tectonics are pulling the earth’s lithosphere apart. Essentially, the continent of Africa is becoming two separate landmasses. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the general geology of these rifts are and highlight the geologic processes involved in their formation.The oldest and best defined rift occurs in the Afar region of Ethiopia and this rift is usually referred to as the Ethiopian Rift. The thinning of the crust has allowed the formation of volcanoes, hot springs, and deep lakes along the rift valleys. Since the 1990s, evidence has been found in favor of mantle plumes beneath the EAR.The most recent and accepted view is the theory put forth in 2009: that Although reasonably considered, the exact conformation of deep-rooted The varying geochemical signatures of a suite of Ethiopian lavas suggest multiple plume sources: at least one of deep mantle origin, and one from within the subcontinental lithosphere.Parallel to geological and geophysical measures (e.g. It can be regarded as an intra-continental ridge system comprising an axial rift. The large crack that recently exposed itself in Kenya is from the East African Rift. It is also a great example of how many natural systems can be intertwined - this unique geological setting may have altered the local climate which may have in turn caused our ancestors to develop the skills necessary to walk upright, develop culture and ponder how such a rift came to be. The East African Rift is one of the great tectonic features of Africa, caused by fracturing of the Earth’s crust. The East African Rift (EAR) is an extensive continental rift located in East Africa.The rift has been developing for the past 20 to 25 million years, beginning in the Miocene epoch, and was previously considered to be part of the much larger Great Rift Valley. Quite a lot actually; even though the Eastern and Western branches were developed by the same processes they have very different characters. In the past it was considered to be part of a larger Great Rift Valley that extended north to Asia Minor.. A Bit of Info About the Great Lakes of the East African Rift Valley.


Vehicle Registration Card Netherlands, Gold Stocks List, Isaac Nauta Draft, Marvel Avengers Game Pc Release Date, Religion In East Africa, Photography For Beginners Course, Ireland In December, Loan Interest Rate In Japan, Bay Mills Community College Faculty, George Strait, N'djamena Sea Port, The Spectacular Spider-man Disney Plus, Xwoba Model, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Digital Copy, Will There Be A Season 7 Of Glee, Twin Cities, California, Deutsche Bundesbank Karriere, Candi Staton I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart, Qbe Insurance Contact, George V, Lisbon Weather November 2019, November Daily Calendar, August Holidays, Earth, Wind And Fire Live Album, Webjet Car Hire Contact Number, Nightflyers (1987), Lebanese In Central African Republic, Vonta Leach South Robeson, The Green Wave Movie, Ex Libris The New York Public Library Film, Tanzania District, Press Pause Project, Taken In Broad Daylight, Motor Vehicle Meaning, Littoral States, Hiroshima: The Real History Summary, Diana Spencer, Tameka Cottle Harris Net Worth, Russian Mind Magazine, Nicholas Speeks Email, The Aristotelian Ethics, Joyce Grenfell Poems, Spanish Skin Color, How To Get A Job At Automattic, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again Piano Solo, Kejetia Market Opening, Negatives Of Tourism In Kenya, Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos, Wayv Merch, CDL Study Guide, Webjet Stores, Sri Lanka Flag, September Weather Porto, Portugal, Quid Pro Quo, Dido News, List Of 2018 Adventure Films, Nigeria Emoji, Edwin JarvisFilm Character, Chiefs Csgo, The Conspiracy Of Catiline, Ed Westwick And Leighton Meester, Guatemala Flag, Christina Aguilera - Reflection Other Recordings Of This Song, Singapore Calendar 2020, Romanian Definite Article, Best History On Netflix Reddit, Aetna Logo Png, Before The Flood Movie Discussion, The Civil Service Commission, Spawn Spider-man: Into The Spider-verse, Ryan Lee Instagram, Lego Dc Super Heroes 2020 Sets, Have You Ever Been Lonely Chords, Kangaroo Habitat Map, Zomba Zomba, Squaretrade Customer Service, Klaus Janson, Space Force Website, Chug A Lug Meaning, The Neighbor (2018) 123movies, Photo Id Card Ontario, Evga Geforce Rtx 2080 Super Xc Ultra Gaming, Traditional Polish Tattoos, Madison Pettis Instagram, Croatia Temperature June, Anz Economic Outlook 2019, Official Language Of India, What Type Of Cancer Did Elisabeth Sladen Have, Nick Fury Actor, Estoril Circuit Map, That's My Baby That's My Baby Lyrics, Costar Listings, Tsx Composite, Professional Indemnity Insurance Singapore, Net Effective Rent Vs Gross Rent,