Topographical map of the Crater Highlands, looking from southwest to north.
The Crater Highlands are a region along the East African Rift in Tanzania, located in a spreading zone at the intersection of branches of the African and Somali tectonic plates, resulting in distinctive and prominent landforms. Northern section of the Great Rift Valley. ... The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ...
The highlands are named for the many craters present. As common in spreading zones, volcanoes can be found here. Magma, rising to fill the gaps, reaches the surface and builds cones. Craters form if a volcano explodes or collapses and further spreading can fracture the volcanoes as well. Look up crater on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A volcano is a geological landform usually generated by the eruption through a planets surface of magma, molten rock welling up from the planets interior. ... Magma is molten rock located beneath the surface of the Earth (or any other rocky planet), and which often collects in a magma chamber. ...
The following are considered to be within the Crater Highlands:
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.
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.
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