The African superswell is an extraordinary uplift of the African continent, particularly its southern half; southern Africa on average lies a full kilometer above sea level, with seemingly anomalous uplifts extending well into the south Atlantic ocean.(Nyblade and Robinson,1994),[1]
The superswell is a relatively recent phenomenon, probably beginning around no earlier than 30 million years ago, or later than 5 million years ago.[2], (Reader, 16) The most likely cause of the superswell is a mantle plume, though this hypthesis has its detractors; the origin of the superswell remains an active area of research.(Nyblade,2003) A mantle plume is an upwelling of molten rock within the Earths (or another planets) mantle. ...
Reference
Reader, John. Africa. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2001.
It has been created through the rifting and separation of the African and Arabian tectonic plates that began around 35 million years ago in the north, and by the ongoing separation of East Africa from the rest of Africa along the East African Rift, which began about 15 million years ago.
The formation of the Rift Valley continues, probably driven by mantle plumes and ultimately a result of the Africansuperswell.
The associated geothermal activity and spreading at the rift has caused the lithosphere to thin from a typical 100 km thickness for continents to a mere 20 km.
It has been created through the rifting and separation of the African and Arabian tectonic plates that began around 35 million years ago in the north, and by the ongoing separation of East Africa from the rest of Africa along the East African Rift, which began about 15 million years ago.
The formation of the Rift Valley continues, probably driven by mantle plumes and ultimately a result of the Africansuperswell.
The associated geothermal activity and spreading at the rift has caused the lithosphere to thin from a typical 100 km thickness for continents to a mere 20 km.
Feeds |
Contact