Continental rifts

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East African Rifts

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There are also locations on the Earth where the crust is coming apart. In Eastern Africa for example, bits of Africa are splitting off and heading into the Indian Ocean.

  • Can you see where Madagascar broke off from?
  • Can you see the line of lakes that show the East African Rift system?

Volcanoes also line these continental rifts.

Volcano in the East African rift. From Kios and Tilling, 1996, Dynamic Earth, USGS
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Volcano in the East African rift. From Kios and Tilling, 1996, Dynamic Earth, USGS


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Red Sea

Image:Land Africa-Eurasia.png

The East African Rift system is a continuation of the rift that is moving Africa away from much of Asia. That split is occuring along the Red Sea.

Arabia, which is moving away from Africa, is colliding with Eurasia.


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