Rift valley

A rift valley is a linear-shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift or fault. A rift valley is formed on a divergent plate boundary, a crustal extension, a spreading apart of the surface, which is subsequently further deepened by the forces of erosion. When the tensional forces were strong enough to cause the plate to split apart, a center block dropped between the two blocks at its flanks, forming a graben. The drop of the center creates the nearly parallel steeply dipping walls of a rift valley when it is new. That feature is the beginning of the rift valley, but as the process continues, the valley widens, until it becomes a large basin that fills with sediment from the rift walls and the surrounding area. One of the best known examples of this process is the East African Rift. On Earth, rifts can occur at all elevations, from the sea floor to plateaus and mountain range in continental crust or in oceanic crust. They are often associated with a number of adjoining subsidiary or co-extensive valleys, which are typically considered part of the principal rift valley geologically.

Rift Valley

In order of specificity, Rift Valley can refer to:

  • Rift valley in general
  • Great Rift Valley (geographical concept), a series of connected rifts from Madagascar to Syria
  • East African Rift, a system of rifts in East Africa
  • Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift
  • Great Rift Valley, Kenya, part of the eastern branch of the East African Rift
  • Great Rift Valley, Ethiopia, part of the eastern branch of the East African Rift
  • Rift Valley fever
  • Rift Valley Province, Kenya and border with Uganda
  • Podcasts:

    PLAYLIST TIME:

    Rift Valley

    by: Euphoreador

    You come back to me sans subterfuge
    As deluge clings to parched desert sands
    It's way too much and too fast
    Aghast the rivers flashed flood
    And the waters are 33 grasping hands deep
    To have and to keep
    To hold and to know
    To bring down the pomp and glamour
    And burn change the three ring show
    With the big top all aglow
    The Circus Maximus is the poignant kiss
    Well what's become of
    Stuttered to no avail and the mast and sail
    Inflates as billow we fall upon the pillow of grass
    Me and this fallible lass
    With up skirt and down dress
    With arched curves we confess
    We're omnivoric whores
    We're human stars amongst scores
    We're gluttonous fasters
    We're servants and we're masters
    We're healed sores gaping fresh anew
    Like whatever plasters the sobered glue
    Of red white deepest black and blue
    Oh fuck the onslaught slew the spirit flew
    Just to test it's wings and rally
    Despite hoops and flaming rings




    Latest News for: rift valley

    Edit

    Refreshing investment revealed for iced tea brand

    The Business Desk 24 Apr 2025
    Ian O’Donohue, founder and chief tea officer of Harry Brompton’s, said ... Our black tea is ethically sourced in the Great Rift Valley located in the middle of the Kenyan highlands, where the climate is perfectly suited to growing the finest tea.” ... .
    Edit

    Kenya’s Ruto visits China amid ‘turbulent international situation’

    Business Day 24 Apr 2025
    Completion of the line has stalled since 2019 due to lack of funds. China will also invest in the expansion of a major highway linking the capital Nairobi with the Rift Valley city of Nakuru, through a public-private partnership model, it said.
    Edit

    Ruto's visit a defining moment

    China Daily 21 Apr 2025
    "There are no specific energy deals or projects coming up for negotiation ... The Export-Import Bank of China has financed key power transmission projects, including those connecting geothermal fields in the Great Rift Valley to the national grid ... .
    Edit

    The only place on Earth where you get to swim between continents

    The Times of India 20 Apr 2025
    The rift valley between these two continental plates is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which widens by about 2 cm each year.
    Edit

    African athletes find their feet in Vietnam’s marathon running boom

    Al Jazeera 19 Apr 2025
    list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘For Ethiopia’s heritage’. War hero’s family fights to reclaim stolen medal ... list 4 of 4UFC ... end of list ... Previously a teacher in Eldoret, in Kenya’s Rift Valley region, Kiptoo’s meagre salary barely supported his family ... .
    Edit

    Paleoanthropologist Louise Leakey Talks Turkana Basin Discoveries at Peabody Museum

    The Harvard Crimson 18 Apr 2025
    The Rift Valley in East Africa also has high volcanic activity, allowing for distinct chemical signatures that are useful in dating fossils.Advertisement.
    Edit

    Position paper Rift Valley Institute t.b.v. rondetafelgesprek Soedan d.d. 17 april 2025 (The Dutch House of Representatives)

    Public Technologies 15 Apr 2025
    Rift RVI ... (https.//riftvalley.net) ... Rift Valley Institute ... She then Joined Rift Valley Institute (RVI) as a cross-border researcher ... Aquila, 'Child Labour, Education and Commodification in South Sudan', Rift. Valley Institute, 2022.
    Edit

    Hippos Appear To Mourn Their Dead In “Extremely Rare” And Heartbreaking Footage

    IFL Science 09 Apr 2025
    At IFLScience, we bloody love a nature documentary ... The scene unfolds in Katavi. Africa’s Fallen Paradise, a new series being aired by PBS Nature that explores the heart of Africa’s Great Rift Valley ...      ... .
    Edit

    Robin Goodfellow's racing tips: Best bets for Wednesday, April 9 | Daily Mail Online

    The Daily Mail 08 Apr 2025
    Mail Sport's racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Wednesday's meetings at Catterick, Kempton, Nottingham and Taunton. Mail Sport's racing expert Robin Goodfellow delivers his tips for Wednesday's meetings. 2.13 Stroxx ... 7.10 Rift Valley ... .
    Edit

    Elon Musk fires back at Trump as Tesla stock slides 38% amid China tariff tensions

    Invezz 08 Apr 2025
    With a presidential election looming, and US-China tensions flaring, the rift between Silicon Valley leaders and Trump’s protectionist agenda is widening.
    Edit

    12 of the best Unesco world heritage sites

    The Times/The Sunday Times 08 Apr 2025
    Where else in the world can you walk between the tectonic plates of two continents? Part of the famous Golden Circle route, Thingvellir National Park lies in a rift valley marking the boundary between the North American and Eurasian plates.
    Edit

    TheHealthReport25: Geothermal energy in Africa and its role in medical tourism & naturopathic practice

    B & FT Online 07 Apr 2025
    By Prof ... Geothermal energy is an abundant yet underutilized resource in Africa, primarily concentrated in the East African Rift System (EARS) ... Lithium ... ... ... Hot springs in Rift Valley and Arusha are traditionally used for skin healing and arthritis relief.
    Edit

    View of tea fields in Kericho, Kenya

    Xinhua 06 Apr 2025
    Kericho county, located in the western of Rift Valley Province, is known as the "tea capital" of Kenya ... Kericho county, located in the western of Rift Valley Province, is known as the "tea capital" of Kenya.
    Edit

    The pace maker: Indian runner Gulveer Singh is breaking new ground

    Hindustan Times 05 Apr 2025
    Gulveer Singh is so close ... (Courtesy SAI / X) ... Those with the right genes — people with roots in West Africa for sprints, and those from the Rift Valley running through Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia for marathons — sweep up all medals at global events.
    ×