A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift. Rift valleys are found both on land and at the bottom of the ocean, where they are created by the process of seafloor spreading. The third, “failed rift” or aulacogen, may become a rift valley.

What is an example of a rift valley?

The Thingvellir fracture zone at Thingvellir National Park in southwestern Iceland is an example of a rift valley. The Thingvellir fracture lies in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which extends through the centre of Iceland. Other notable examples include the Baikal Rift Valley (Russia) and the Rhine Rift Valley (Germany).

What is the rift valley and why is it important?

The rift valleys are enormous fractures affecting the continental plates that widen progressively with time: they represent the first stages in the complex process of extension and rupture of continents and anticipate the development of new oceanic basins between them.

What is a rift valley class 7?

Answer: A rift valley is formed on a divergent plate boundary when a block of land between two almost parallel faults sinks down. For example, the Narmada Valley in India, lying between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges, is a rift valley.

Where is the rift valley?

The Rift Valley, located in Eastern Africa, covers just over 2% of the continent and spreads over seven countries (Map 5 and Table 29). min. max. The Rift Valley consists of a group of independent interior basins, extending from Djibouti in the north to Tanzania in the south, nearly half being located in Ethiopia.

How is a rift valley formed give one example?

A rift valley is formed by the submergence of a big landmass between two high block mountains, e.g. the Rhine river flows through a rift valley in its middle course.

Is Lake Victoria a rift valley lake?

Lake Victoria (elevation 1,134 metres (3,720 ft)), with an area of 68,800 square kilometres (26,600 sq mi), is the largest lake in Africa. It is not in the rift valley, instead occupying a depression between the eastern and western rifts formed by the uplift of the rifts to either side.

What is the Rift Valley is known for?

The most well-known rift valley on Earth is probably the so-called “Great Rift Valley System” which stretches from the Middle East in the north to Mozambique in the south. The area is geologically active, and features volcanoes, hot springs, geysers, and frequent earthquakes.

Which is a Rift Valley?

A rift valley is a lowland region formed by the interaction of Earth’s tectonic plates. A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift. Rift valleys are found both on land and at the bottom of the ocean, where they are created by the process of seafloor spreading.

Why is the Rift Valley in Africa so important for the development of humans?

The Rift Valley in East Africa has been a rich source of hominid fossils that allow the study of human evolution. The rapidly eroding highlands quickly filled the valley with sediments, creating a favorable environment for the preservation of remains.

What is rift valley class6?

A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart. When two faults occur simultaneously, the portion of a land between them may get elevated or get depressed. The depressed piece of land between two or more parallel faults is forms a rift valley.

Which is a rift valley in India?

Narmada flows westwards through a rift valley between the Vindhyan Range on the north and the Satpura Range on the south. The Narmada, also called the Rewa, is a river in central India and the sixth longest river in the Indian subcontinent.

What is rift valley class9?

Explanation: A rift valley is a linear-shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges which is created by the action of a geologic rift or fault.

Where does Rift Valley start and end?

Come and visit the Great Rift Valley. The Rift Valley starts all the way from Jordan, Middle-East, and runs through Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Congo, Malawi, and ends near the coastal town of Solada in Mozambique.

Where in Africa are the rifts located?

The East African Rift Valley stretches over 3,000km from the Gulf of Aden in the north towards Zimbabwe in the south, splitting the African plate into two unequal parts: the Somali and Nubian plates.

Where is the East African Rift Valley located?

East African Rift System, also called Afro-Arabian Rift Valley, one of the most extensive rifts on Earth’s surface, extending from Jordan in southwestern Asia southward through eastern Africa to Mozambique. The system is some 4,000 miles (6,400 km) long and averages 30–40 miles (48–64 km) wide.