What is the East African Rift an example of?
The East African Rift Valley is an example of a divergent boundary in an area of continental crust. It is one the geologic wonders of the world, a place where the earth’s tectonic forces are presently trying to create new plates by splitting apart old ones.
What type of plate boundary is the East African Rift?
divergent plate boundary
The East African Rift Valley (EAR) is a developing divergent plate boundary in East Africa. Here the eastern portion of Africa, the Somalian plate, is pulling away from the rest of the continent, that comprises the Nubian plate.
Is the East African Rift Valley is an example of continental rifting?
The most prominent example of a continental rift is the East-African Rift Valley and its continuations into the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. If the rifting between East Africa and the rest of the continent continues, a new ocean will eventually be formed here.
What type of landform is the East African Rift?
Continental Rift Valleys
Continental Rift Valleys Very few active rift valleys are found on continental lithosphere. The East African Rift, the Baikal Rift Valley, the West Antarctic Rift, and the Rio Grande Rift are Earth’s major active continental rift valleys. The East African Rift is part of the “Great Rift Valley” system discussed below.
What type of plate movement caused the Rift Valley?
Divergent plate boundaries
Divergent plate boundaries, which are associated with the formation of rift valleys, occur when plates move away from one another. Convergent plate boundaries move toward one another, pushing into one another and are likely to create mountain ranges.
What is the rift in Africa called?
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.
Is the African Plate convergent or divergent?
divergent boundaries
African Plate Boundaries Subduction zones are convergent boundaries, and where they collide, one plate dives below the other. In this case, the African plate is diving below the Eurasian plate. All the other sides of the African plate are divergent boundaries.
Is a rift valley convergent or divergent?
Areas where plates are colliding form convergent boundaries, and areas where plates are expanding create divergent boundaries. Rift valleys are formed by divergent boundaries that involve continental plates.
What type of plate movement caused the rift valley?
What is an example of a rift valley?
Examples of rift valleys: The East African Rift, the Baikal Rift Valley, the West Antarctic Rift, and the Rio Grande Rift are Earth’s major active continental rift valleys. The East African Rift is part of the “Great Rift Valley” system.
Which type of plate boundary is visible in eastern Africa today?
Explanation: The Great Rift Valley is the result of a divergent boundary. There are two plates that are being pushed and pulled apart in the rift valley. This same divergent boundary is responsible for the formation of the Red Sea, The gulf of Aquba and the Dead Sea.
Where is the East African Rift?
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. The system is some 4,000 miles (6,400 km) long and averages 30–40 miles (48–64 km) wide.
Is the African Plate convergent?
African Plate Boundaries The northern part of the plate is a convergent boundary where the African plate is subducting below the Eurasian plate. Subduction zones are convergent boundaries, and where they collide, one plate dives below the other. In this case, the African plate is diving below the Eurasian plate.
What plate is the African Plate?
The African Plate is the 4th largest plate tectonic boundary on Earth. It consists of both continent and ocean crust. For example, the African major plate contains the whole continent of Africa as well as the surrounding oceanic crust of the Atlantic Ocean.
How is the East African Rift Valley formed?
The East African Rift Valley, as the region is known, formed where the Somalian and Nubian plates are pulling away from the Arabian Plate. The eastern branch of the rift passes through Ethiopia and Kenya, and the western branch forms a giant arc from Uganda to Malawi.
What type of plate boundary can a rift valley form?
Divergent plate boundaries, which are associated with the formation of rift valleys, occur when plates move away from one another. Convergent plate boundaries move toward one another, pushing into one another and are likely to create mountain ranges.
How is the East African Rift valley formed?
What type of plate boundary is the Great Rift valley?
Rift valleys are formed by divergent boundaries that involve continental plates.