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.
What tectonic plate is East African Rift?
Throughout the East African Rift, the continent of Africa is splitting in two. The African plate, sometimes called the Nubian plate , carries most of the continent, while the smaller Somali plate carries Horn of Africa. The two major rift valley systems of the East African Rift are the Gregory Rift and the Western Rift.
How was East African Rift Valley formed?
Millions of years ago, the Arabian Peninsula was connected to Africa. Seafloor spreading caused the Arabian and African plates to rift apart . The Indian Ocean flooded the rift valley between the continents, creating the Red Sea. ... South of the Red Sea Rift lies the massive, complex East African Rift.
Is the East African Rift a mid ocean ridge?
If the process continues long enough and the continental crust is effectively separated, the continental rift graben turns into a normal mid -oceanic ridge. ... 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.
What type of plate boundary is the African Plate?
Boundaries. The western edge of the African Plate is a divergent boundary with the North American Plate to the north and the South American Plate to the south which forms the central and southern part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
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. Watch this simple video on the formation of a rift valley.
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 |
|---|
Why did the East African Rift Valley form?
Twenty-five million years ago, as plate tectonics began to pull apart eastern Africa, the landscape that would eventually be home to the first humans began to take shape. ... The East African Rift Valley, as the region is known, formed where the Somalian and Nubian plates are pulling away from the Arabian Plate .
Why is the East African rift rifting?
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’.
Is the African continent splitting apart?
Scientists say a new ocean will form in Africa as the continent continues to split into two . ... It is an active continental rift that began millions of years ago, splitting at 7mm annually.
Are Saudi Arabia and Africa moving apart?
The Red Sea rifting began in the Eocene, but the separation of Africa and Arabia occurred approximately 25 million years ago in the Oligocene, and since then the Arabian Plate has been slowly moving toward the Eurasian Plate.
What is the difference between Rift Valley and Mid ocean Ridge?
The major difference between different types is what type of plate the divergent boundary is between. If the boundary is found between two continental plates you are left with a rift valley. ... If two oceanic plates begin moving away from each other it creates a mid-oceanic ridge.
Is African plate oceanic or continental?
The African Plate is both oceanic and continental . It has the whole African continent on top of it as well as the oceanic crust of the Atlantic Ocean. There is a divergent boundary between the African plate and the North American Plate and the South American Plate.
Why is the west coast of Africa a plate boundary?
The west coast of africa is considered a divergent boundary . In the north you have the North American Plate and in The south you have the South American Plate. These two plates move away from each other and therefore known/called the mid-ocean ridges.
Which volcano in Africa is not on a plate boundary?
The volcanoes of Madagascar are not at a plate boundary.
Is the African plate convergent?
The African plate has two of these types of plate boundaries around its border. 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.
