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.
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.
Is the East African Rift is an example of a convergent 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.
What is the East African Rift and what caused it?
The East African Rift is one of the great tectonic features of Africa, caused by fracturing of the Earth’s crust. This astronaut photograph of the Eastern Branch of the Rift (near Kenya’s southern border) highlights the classical geologic structures associated with a tectonic rift valley.
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.
Which is an example of continental rifting?
We begin with perhaps the best example of a modern continental rift zone – the East African Rift. The East African Rift is a high terrain, a broad upwarp of the continent. It is a region of high heat flow and volcanoes, of normal faults that bound uplifted blocks of crust and down dropped basins.
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.
Which type of plate boundary can create a rift valley?
divergent boundary
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.
Why is the East African Rift important?
The Rift Valley in East Africa has been a rich source of hominid fossils that allow the study of human evolution. The rapidly eroding highlands quickly filled the valley with sediments, creating a favorable environment for the preservation of remains.
How is a rift valley formed give one example?
A rift valley is formed by the submergence of a big landmass between two high block mountains, e.g. the Rhine river flows through a rift valley in its middle course.
How was the 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. Today, Africa and Asia are connected by the triangle of the Sinai Peninsula.
Which of the following are examples of modern day island arcs?
List of modern island arcs
| Island arc | Country | Trench |
|---|---|---|
| Mariana Islands | United States | Mariana Trench |
| Bismarck Archipelago | Papua New Guinea | New Britain Trench |
| Solomon Islands (archipelago) | Solomon Islands | San Cristobal Trench |
| New Hebrides | Vanuatu | New Hebrides Trench |
How was the East African Rift Valley formed?
Is the East African Rift a divergent boundary?
A narrow zone, the rift is a developing divergent tectonic plate boundary where the African Plate is in the process of splitting into two tectonic plates, called the Somali Plate and the Nubian Plate, at a rate of 6–7 millimetres (1⁄4–9⁄32 inch) per year.
How does the East African Rift relate to plate tectonics?
What is a rift valley example?
Continental rifts are potential places where new oceans are expected to form. 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.
What is an example of an island arc?
Some well-known examples of island arcs are Japan, Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Mariana Islands, all of which are in the Pacific, and the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. The abundance of volcanic rocks around the Pacific Ocean has led to the designation of the Pacific margin as a “Ring of Fire”.
Which of the following is an example of a continental arc?
Table of continental arcs
| Continental arc | Country | Overriding Plate |
|---|---|---|
| Cascade Volcanic Arc | United States and Canada | North American Plate |
| Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Range | United States | North American Plate |
| Kamchatka | Russia | Eurasian Plate |
| Andean Volcanic Belt | Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina | South American Plate |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X13ntFfwXqY