What is a Rift Valley underwater?

What is a Rift Valley underwater?

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. Two arms of the triple junction can split to form an entire ocean.

What is the largest Rift Valley?

The largest and deepest rift valley yet discovered is not on Earth—it’s on Mars. Valles Marineris was formed millions of years ago, when the rocky Martian lithosphere was still rifting and shifting. Valles Marineris reaches depths of up to 7 kilometers (4 miles) and spans about 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) long.

How is a Rift Valley formed?

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.

Where is the western branch of the Rift Valley?

Western Branch of the Rift Valley The western branch of the Rift Valley, known as the Western Rift Valley, runs in a great arc through the Great Lakes region, passing along lakes Albert (also known as Lake Albert Nyanza), Edward, Kivu, Tanganyika, Rukwa, and to Lake Nyasa in Malawi. Most of these lakes are deep, some with bottoms below sea level.

Where are the Great Lakes in the Great Rift Valley?

All of the African Great Lakes were formed as the result of the rift, and most lie in territories within the rift. In Kenya, the valley is deepest to the north of Nairobi. As the lakes in the Eastern Rift have no outlet to the sea and tend to be shallow, they have a high mineral content as the evaporation of water leaves the salts behind.

How did the Great Rift Valley create the Red Sea?

The Great Rift Valley is a series of connected rift valleys. Seafloor spreading at the north end of the system created the Red Sea, separating the Arabian Peninsula on the Arabian Plate from the African continent on the Nubian African Plate and will eventually connect the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

How is the Great Rift Valley used in geology?

While the name continues in some usages, it is rarely used in geology as it is considered an imprecise merging of separate though related rift and fault systems.

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