In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the

Earth's crust and lithosphere are being pulled

apart and is an example of extensional
tectonics.
The East African Rift is a narrow zone in which
the African Plate is in the process of splitting
into two new tectonic plates, called the Somali
Plate and the Nubian Plate, which are subplates
or protoplates.
The East African Rift consists of two main
branches: the Gregory Rift and the Albertine
Rift. These result from the actions of numerous
normal (dip-slip) faults which are typical of all
tectonic rift zones. The Eastern Rift Valley
includes the Main Ethiopian Rift, running
eastward from the Afar Triple Junction, which
continues south as the Kenyan Rift Valley. The
Western Rift Valley includes the Albertine Rift,
and farther south, the valley of Lake Malawi.
Adapted from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_African_Rift

Field Trip to the East
African Rift
The East African Rift is an active
continental rift zone that appears to
be a developing divergent tectonic
plate boundary in East Africa. Our field
trip will take us to 4 notable
geographic features within the rift
zone.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_African_Rift
More Information About
the East African Rift

Stop 1. Lake Turkana
Stop 2. Ol Doinyo Lengai
Stop 3. Crater Highlands
Stop 4. Lake Tanganyika
Stop 4. Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is located within the
Albertine Rift, the western branch of
the East African Rift. It is the second
largest freshwater lake in the world
by volume, and the second deepest.
The lake was formed as a result of
subsidence related to movement on
faults within the rift zone. You can see
that it is bounded by steep cliffs along
the fault margins. Because the lake is
in a tropical location, it has a high rate
of evaporation. Due to the fact that
there are no major rivers flowing into
the lake to replenish it, it is estimated
that a rise in temperature due to
climate change will increase the rate
of evaporation and result in a rapid
fall in the water level.


Lake Turkana, Jade Sea.
Source: en.wikipedia.org

Map of East Africa showing some of the historically active
volcanoes(red triangles) and the Afar Triangle (shaded, center) a
so-called triple junction (or triple point), 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. Source: en.wikipedia.org

Caption describing picture or
graphic.
Stop 2. Ol Doinyo Lengai
Ol Doinyo Lengai is located in the
Gregory Rift in Tanzania. It is another
feature of the East African Rift
system. It is a unique active volcano
due to the fact that it produces
natrocarbonatite lava. Its lava is rich
in rare sodium and potassium
carbonates, nyerereite and
gregoryite, versus the silicate minerals
most lavas are primarily composed of.
The lava erupts at relatively low
temperatures, which causes it to
appear black in the sunlight as
opposed to the red glow usually
associated with lava. The volcano was
produced by the tectonic forces
involved with the creation of the East
African Rift.

Ol Doinyo Lengai
Image of 1966 eruption
Elevation: 3,188 m (10,459 ft)
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Stop 1. Lake Turkana
Lake Turkana is the worlds largest
permanent desert lake, and the worlds
largest alkaline lake. It is also a salt lake.
The lake is a feature of the East African
Rift, and was formed because the weak
spot in the Earths crust caused by the
separation of two tectonic plates created
a graben where water can collect and
form a lake. You can see that extrusions of
basalt are visible around the lake area,
and the surrounding rocks are mostly
volcanic, as there is a volcanic island
(Central Island) located in the middle of
the lake. You may feel the strong offshore
and onshore winds caused by the lake
temperature fluctuating at a slower pace
than the surrounding land. You may also
notice the large amount of bird species
feeding in the lake, one of their stops
along their migratory path through the
East African Rift.

Lake Turkana, Jade Sea.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Stop 3. Crater Highlands
The Crater Highlands are a region in the
East African Rift also located in Tanzania.
The Crater Highlands are in a spreading
zone within the rift. Within the Crater
Highlands is the Ngorongoro Crater, which
is the worlds largest inactive, intact, and
unfilled volcanic caldera. The craters
formation is the result of a large volcanic
eruption that caused the volcano to
explode and collapse upon itself 2-3 mya.
The crater houses one of the densest
population of African lions, however
because the crater is a natural enclosure
the lion population is significantly inbred.

Toporaphical Map of Crater Highlands
Source: en.wikipedia.org