Northern section of the Great Rift Valley. The Sinai Peninsula is in center and the Dead Sea and Jordan River valley above

The Great Rift Valley is a vast geographical and geological feature that runs north to south for some 5,000 km, from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa. The valley varies in width from thirty to one hundred kilometers, and in depth from a few hundred to several thousand metres. 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. It was named by the explorer John Walter Gregory. From NASA Photo taken during Gemini XI mission. ... From NASA Photo taken during Gemini XI mission. ... Sinai Peninsula, Gulf of Suez (west), Gulf of Aqaba (east) from Space Shuttle STS-40 For other uses of the word Sinai, please see: Sinai (disambiguation). ... The Jordan River flowing into the Dead Sea The Dead Sea (Arabic البحر الميت, Hebrew ים המלח) is the lowest exposed point on the Earths surface. ... This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia. ... Southwest Asia (PDF) Southwest Asia (often confused with the Middle East) is the southwestern portion of Asia. ... East Africa is a region generally considered to include: Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Somalia Tanzania Uganda Burundi, Rwanda, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, and Sudan are sometimes considered a part of East Africa. ... Fljótsdalur in East-Iceland A valley is a landform, which can range from a few square miles (square kilometers) to hundreds or even thousands of square miles (square kilometers) in area. ... In geology, a rift is a place where the Earths lithosphere is expanding. ... The African plate is shown in pinkish-orange on this map The African Plate (sometimes referred to as the Nubian Plate) is a continental tectonic plate covering the continent of Africa and extending westward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. ... The Arabian plate is shown in bright yellow on this map The Arabian Plate is a continental tectonic plate covering the Arabian peninsula and extending northward to Turkey. ... The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ...

The northernmost part of the Rift forms the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon separating the Lebanon Mountains and Anti-Lebanon Mountains. To the south in Israel, it is known as the Hula Valley separating between the Galilee mountains and the Golan Heights. Further south, the valley becomes the Jordan River, which flows southward through from Lake Hula into the Sea of Galilee in Israel and then continues South through the Jordan Valley into the Dead Sea on the Israeli-Jordanian Border. From the Dead Sea southwards, the Rift is occupied by the Wadi Arabah and then the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. Beqaa Valley Beqaa (Arabic: البقاع) is a valley in Lebanon. ... Mount Lebanon is the mountain range that extends across the whole country of Lebanon about 160 km (100 mi) parallel to the Mediterranean coast and rising to 3,090 m (10,131 ft). ... Anti-Lebanon is a mountain range of Lebanon and Syria. ... The Hula Valley is an agricultural region in northern Israel with abundant fresh water. ... Galilee (Arabic al-jaleel الجليل, Hebrew hagalil הגליל), meaning circuit, is a large area overlapping with much of the North District of Israel. ... Sites on the Golan in blue are Israeli settlement communities. ... This article is about the Jordan River and its valley in western Asia. ... The Hula Valley (Hebrew: emek hahula) is an agricultural region in northern Israel with abundant fresh water. ... The Sea of Galilee with the Jordan River flowing out of it to the south and into the Dead Sea Kineret redirects here; for the Amgen drug having this tradename, see Anakinra The Sea of Galilee is Israels largest freshwater lake, approximately 53 kilometers (33 miles) in circumference, about... This article is about the Jordan River in western Asia. ... The Jordan River flowing into the Dead Sea The Dead Sea (Arabic البحر الميت, Hebrew ים המלח) is the lowest exposed point on the Earths surface. ... Aravah is also the name of one of the Four Species used on the Judaism holiday of Sukkot. ... Sinai Peninsula, with the Gulf of Aqaba (east) and the Gulf of Suez (west), as viewed from the Space Shuttle STS-40. ... Location of the Red Sea Image:Red Seaimage. ...

The Jordan Rift Valley from space

The southern end of the Red Sea marks a fork in the rift. The Afar Triangle or Danakil Depression of Eritrea is the probable location of a triple junction which is possibly underlain by a mantle plume. The Gulf of Aden is an eastward continuation of the rift - before the rift opened, the Arabian Peninsula was attached to the Horn of Africa - and from this point the rift continues as part of the Mid-oceanic ridge of the Indian Ocean. In a southwest direction the fault continues as the Great Rift Valley, which split the older Ethiopian highlands into two halves. Jordan River viewed from space. ... Jordan River viewed from space. ... MODIS satellite image of the Afar Depression and surrounding regions of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabia, and the Horn of Africa. ... A triple junction is the point where three tectonic plates diverge. ... A mantle plume is a manifestation of a type of geological phenomenon originally proposed by W. Jason Morgan in 1971. ... The Gulf of Aden is located in the Indian Ocean between Yemen on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula and Somaliland in Africa. ... Courtesy USGS The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an underwater mountain range of the Atlantic Ocean that runs from Iceland to Antarctica, and is the longest mountain range on Earth. ... The Ethiopian Highlands are a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia and Eritrea in northeastern Africa. ...

In eastern Africa the valley divides into two, the Eastern Rift and the Western Rift.

The Western Rift, also called the Albertine Rift, is edged by some of the highest mountains in Africa, including the Virunga Mountains, Mitumba Mountains, and Ruwenzori Range, and contains the Rift Valley lakes, which include some of the deepest lakes in the world (up to 1,470 meters deep at Lake Tanganyika). Lake Victoria, the second largest area freshwater lake in the world, is considered part of the Rift Valley system although it actually lies between the two branches. The other Great Lakes are also formed by the rift. The Virunga Mountains are a chain of volcanoes in East Africa, along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. ... The Ruwenzori Range, now officially called Rwenzori Mountains (the spelling having been changed in about 1980 to conform more closely with the local tribal name) is a small but spectacular mountain range of central Africa, often referred to as Mt. ... The are a group of lakes formed by the Great Rift Valley of eastern Africa. ... A lake is a body of water surrounded by land. ... Fishermen on Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika is a large lake in central Africa (3° 20 to 8° 48 South and from 29° 5 to 31° 15 East). ... Lake Victoria, as seen from space Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza (also known as Ukerewe and Nalubaale) is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. ... The Great Lakes of Africa are a series of lakes in and around the Great Rift Valley. ...

In Kenya the valley is deepest to the north of Nairobi. As the lakes in the Eastern Rift have no outlet to the sea, these lakes tend to be shallow and have a high mineral content as the evaporation of water leaves the salts behind. For example, Lake Magadi is almost solid soda (sodium carbonate), and Lake Elmenteita, Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, and Lake Nakuru are all strongly alkaline, while Lake Naivasha needs to be supplied by freshwater springs to support its biological variety. Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya. ... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... Lake Magadi Lake Magadi is the southermost lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, lying north east of Lake Natron. ... R-phrases S-phrases , , Flash point non flammable RTECS number VZ4050000 Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Lake Baringo is, after Lake Turkana, the most northern of the Great Rift Valley lakes of Kenya, with a surface area of about 130 sq km. ... Lake Borgoria is north of Lake Baringo, Kenya, and is not a fresh water lake. ... Lake Nakuru National Park is 168 km² It is very close to the second largest city in Kenya, Nakuru. ... Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in Kenya, lying north west of Nairobi, outside the town of Naivasha. ...

Map of East Africa showing some of the historically active volcanoes (red triangles) and the Afar Triangle (shaded, center) — a triple junction where three plates are pulling away from one another: the Arabian Plate, and the two parts of the African Plate (the Nubian and the Somalian) splitting along the East African Rift Zone (USGS).

The formation of the Rift Valley continues, probably driven by mantle plumes and ultimately a result of the African superswell. 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. Within a few million years, the lithosphere may rupture and eastern Africa will split off to form a new landmass. If spreading continues, this will lead to the formation of a new mid-ocean ridge. Image File history File links Map of East Africa showing some of the historically active volcanoes(red triangles) and the Afar Triangle (shaded, center) -- a triple junction where three plates are pulling away from one another: the Arabian Plate, and the two parts of the African Plate (the Nubian and... Image File history File links Map of East Africa showing some of the historically active volcanoes(red triangles) and the Afar Triangle (shaded, center) -- a triple junction where three plates are pulling away from one another: the Arabian Plate, and the two parts of the African Plate (the Nubian and... MODIS satellite image of the Afar Depression and surrounding regions of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabia, and the Horn of Africa. ... A triple junction is the point where three tectonic plates diverge. ... A mantle plume is a manifestation of a type of geological phenomenon originally proposed by W. Jason Morgan in 1971. ... The tectonic plates of the Lithosphere on Earth. ... A mid-ocean ridge or mid-oceanic ridge is an uplifting of the ocean floor that occurs when convection currents beneath the ocean bed force magma up where two tectonic plates meet at a divergent boundary. ...

The volcanic activity at this site and unusual concentration of hotspots has produced the volcanic mountains Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Nyiragongo, Mount Meru and Mount Elgon as well as the Crater Highlands in Tanzania. The Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano remains active, and is currently the only natrocarbonatite volcano in the world. In geology, a hotspot is a location on the Earths surface that has experienced active volcanism for a long period of time. ... Kilimanjaro includes the highest peak in Africa at 5,895m. ... Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya, and the second-highest in Africa (after Mount Kilimanjaro). ... Mount Karisimbi is a dormant volcano in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda. ... Mount Nyiragongo is a volcano in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Great Rift Valley. ... Mount Meru is an active volcano located just 70 kilometers (44 miles) west of Mount Kilimanjaro. ... Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya. ... Ol Doinyo Lengai is a volcano located in Tanzania. ... A volcano is a geological landform where magma (rock from the Earths interior made molten by extremely high temperatures along with a reduction in pressure and/or the introduction of water or other volatiles) erupts through the surface of a planet. ... Carbonatites are intrusive igneous rock structures with more than 50% carbonate content, many of which contain distinctive abundances of apatite, magnetite, barite, and fluorite, that may contain economic or anomalous concentrations of rare earth elements, phosphorus, niobium, uranium, thorium, copper, iron, titanium, barium, fluorine, zirconium, and other rare or incompatible...

The Rift Valley has been a rich source of anthropological discovery, especially in an area known as Piedmont. Because the rapidly eroding highlands have filled the valley with sediments, a favourable environment for the preservation of remains has been created. The bones of several hominid ancestors of modern humans have been found there, including those of "Lucy", a nearly complete australopithecine skeleton, which was discovered by anthropologist Donald Johanson. Richard and Meave Leakey have also done significant work in this region. Human anatomical proportions. ... Genera Subfamily Ponginae Pongo - Orangutans Gigantopithecus (extinct) Sivapithecus (extinct) Lufengpithecus (extinct) Ankarapithecus (extinct) Subfamily Homininae Gorilla - Gorillas Pan - Chimpanzees Homo - Humans Dryopithecus (extinct) Ouranopithecus (extinct) Paranthropus (extinct) Australopithecus (extinct) Sahelanthropus (extinct) Orrorin (extinct) Ardipithecus (extinct) Kenyanthropus (extinct) Pierolapithecus (extinct) (tentative) The hominids are the members of the biological family Hominidae... Binomial name †Australopithecus afarensis Leaky & White, 1978 Australopithecus afarensis is a hominid which lived between 3. ... This term australopithecine refers to two very closely related hominin genera: Australopithecus Paranthropus When used alone, the term refers to both genera together. ... Donald Carl Johanson (born June 28, 1943) is an American paleoanthropologist known for his discovery of the skeleton of a 3. ... Richard Erskine Frere Leakey (born 19 December 1944 in Nairobi, Kenya), is a paleontologist, archaeologist and conservationist. ... Meave (Epps) Leakey (born 1942 in London, England) is together with her husband Richard Leakey one of the most renowned British paleontologists. ...

See also

• Graben
• Horst

USGS image A graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults. ... USGS image In physical geography and geology, a horst is the raised fault block bounded by normal faults. ...

External links

• Small simple-coloured map
• Maps from the Albertine Rift Programme