Table of Contents
What type of boundary is the Great rift valley in Africa?
divergent plate boundary
The East African Rift Valley (EAR) is a developing divergent plate boundary in East Africa.
What type of landform is the African rift valley?
tectonic valley
A rift valley constitutes a type of tectonic valley and, as such, differs from river and glacial valleys, which are produced by erosional forces. A brief treatment of rift valleys follows. For full treatment, see tectonic basins and rift valleys.
Is the Great rift valley a mid-ocean ridge?
Many of Earth’s deepest rift valleys are found underwater, dividing long mountain ranges called mid-ocean ridges. Over millions of years, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge has formed rift valleys as wide as 15 kilometers (9 miles).
Is a rift valley a ridge?
The most extensive rift valley is located along the crest of the mid-ocean ridge system and is the result of sea floor spreading. Examples of this type of rift include the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the East Pacific Rise. If they continue, continental rifts will eventually become oceanic rifts.
Which mid ocean ridge is spreading the slowest?
The Ridge is named after him, and the name was recognized in April 1987 by SCUFN (under that body’s old name, the Sub-Committee on Geographical Names and Nomenclature of Ocean Bottom Features). The ridge is the slowest known spreading ridge on earth, with a rate of less than one centimeter per year.
What is the difference between rift valley and Mid Ocean ridge?
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. Continental plates are less dense, and thus float much higher on the mantle.
What is the difference between Rift Valley and Mid Ocean Ridge?
What will eventually happen if a Rift Valley continues to pull apart?
If these two rift zones continue they will break apart the crustal plates they are located on and will create new plates. Sea water will flood the rift valleys and they will eventually become seas like the Red Sea.
Is the East African Rift part of the Great Rift Valley?
East African Rift. In the past, it was considered to be part of a larger Great Rift Valley that extended north to Asia Minor . The rift is a narrow zone that 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,…
What causes the formation of the Rift Valley?
Or, the plates may be pulling apart from one another; this is what creates a rift valley. The African Rift, also known as the East African Rift System (or EARS), is actually a system of rifts created by the separating of the Nubian Plate and the Somalian Plate , which together comprise the African Plate of the African continent.
Where are the continental rift valleys on Earth?
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 are the highest mountains in the Rift Valley?
The Western Rift, also called the Albertine Rift, is bordered by some of the highest mountains in Africa, including the Virunga Mountains, Mitumba Mountains, and Ruwenzori Range.