Great Rift Valley (The Best Example of a Divergent Boundary ) ... In a southwest direction, the fault continues as the Great Rift Valley, which split the older Ethiopian highlands into two halves. In eastern Africa, the valley divides into the Eastern Rift
Is the Great Rift Valley divergent or convergent?
Today, the term is most often used to refer to the valley of the East African Rift, the divergent plate boundary which extends from the Afar Triple Junction southward across eastern Africa, and is in the process of splitting the African Plate into two new separate plates.
Is the Great Rift Valley of East Africa a divergent plate boundary?
The East African Rift Valley (EAR) is a developing divergent plate boundary in East Africa. ... The Nubian and Somalian plates are also separating from the Arabian plate in the north, thus creating a ‘Y’ shaped rifting system. These plates intersect in the Afar region of Ethiopia at what is known as a ‘triple junction’.
What boundary causes the Great Rift Valley to form?
It was formed by the Thingvellir rift , where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are tearing, or rifting, apart over a hotspot on the island of Iceland.
What type of plate boundary is a rift valley?
Many rift valleys are part of “triple junctions,” a type of divergent boundary where three tectonic plates meet at about 120° angles. Two arms of the triple junction can split to form an entire ocean. The third, “failed rift” or aulacogen, may become a rift valley.
Is the Japan island arc a divergent boundary?
Japan has been situated in the convergent plate boundary during long geohistorical ages. This means that the Japanese islands are built under the subduction tectonics.
Why is the Great Rift Valley a good example of divergent convergence?
Great Rift Valley (The Best Example of a Divergent Boundary) ... In a southwest direction, the fault continues as the Great Rift Valley , which split the older Ethiopian highlands into two halves. In eastern Africa, the valley divides into the Eastern Rift and the Western Rift.
Do convergent boundaries cause rift valleys?
According to plate tectonics, the Earth’s crust is comprised of over a dozen rigid slabs, or plates. ... 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 .
Which is the longest rift valley in the world?
| World Rift/Valley Length | Earth Great Rift Valley 6,000 km (3,700 mi) | Canadian Arctic Rift System 4,800 km (3,000 mi) | West Antarctic Rift System | Midcontinent Rift System 2,000 km (1,200 mi) |
|---|
How deep is the Great Rift Valley?
The Great Rift Valley runs north to south for 5000 km, varies in width from 30-100 km, and is between several hundred to several thousand metres deep at any given point.
Which countries does the Rift Valley pass through?
| Name of basin Total area of basin Area in the country | Uganda 4 514 | Kenya 102 452 | Southern lakes: 178 800 | Kenya 25 000 |
|---|
What are divergent boundaries?
A divergent boundary occurs when two tectonic plates move away from each other . Along these boundaries, earthquakes are common and magma (molten rock) rises from the Earth’s mantle to the surface, solidifying to create new oceanic crust. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an example of divergent plate boundaries.
How fast is Africa splitting apart?
The three plates are separating at different speeds. The Arabian plate is moving away from Africa at a rate of about 1 inch per year, while the two African plates are separating even slower, between half an inch to 0.2 inches per year , according to Macdonald.
What boundary causes ridges?
Mid-ocean ridges occur along divergent plate boundaries , where new ocean floor is created as the Earth’s tectonic plates spread apart. As the plates separate, molten rock rises to the seafloor, producing enormous volcanic eruptions of basalt.
Is Iceland splitting apart?
Iceland is a geologic paradise. The earth is splitting apart in the middle of Iceland . ... Actually, it’s splitting apart along a ridge that runs north to south through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Is the San Andreas Fault a divergent boundary?
The San Andreas Fault is part of a transform plate boundary that disrupts the topography of an ancient subduction zone. ... The transform plate boundary is a broad zone forming as the Pacific Plate slides northwestward past the North American Plate.
