À partir de Cᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
East Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Great Rift Valley is a major tectonic depression cutting through the volcanic highlands of East Africa and Ethiopia. It contains important lakes and is associated with large-scale crustal stresses, faulting, and volcanism, especially from the Miocene onward. Its development has been interpreted as an early stage in the possible creation of a new ocean and the eventual separation of Africa into two continental entities.
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Le récit
The Great Rift Valley cuts through the highlands of Ethiopia and East Africa, where deep trenches are occupied in part by lakes of varying depth. It forms one of the most conspicuous structural features of the continent, contrasting with the broad plateaux and relatively stable cratonic regions that dominate much of Africa.
The rift system is linked to major crustal stresses and to volcanic activity. The extract identifies the Miocene as the main period for the commencement of volcanicity in East Africa, in association with the forces that formed the Great Rift Valley. Volcanic cones and highland masses created some of Africa’s most elevated landscapes despite their equatorial location.
The rift also altered the relationship between Africa and Arabia. Until the Miocene, Arabia was effectively integrated with Africa; subsequent faulting created the Red Sea trough as a major rift system and separated the two landmasses. The Great Rift Valley is consequently presented within a broader history of continental extension and tectonic fragmentation.
A further interpretation sees the rift as foreshadowing the eventual formation of a new ocean along its course. This would imply the future division of Africa into two continental entities, although the passage presents the idea as a geological interpretation rather than an established historical event.
À partir de Cᵉ siècle av. J.-C.
East Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Great Rift Valley is a major tectonic depression cutting through the volcanic highlands of East Africa and Ethiopia. It contains important lakes and is associated with large-scale crustal stresses, faulting, and volcanism, especially from the Miocene onward. Its development has been interpreted as an early stage in the possible creation of a new ocean and the eventual separation of Africa into two continental entities.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The Great Rift Valley cuts through the highlands of Ethiopia and East Africa, where deep trenches are occupied in part by lakes of varying depth. It forms one of the most conspicuous structural features of the continent, contrasting with the broad plateaux and relatively stable cratonic regions that dominate much of Africa.
The rift system is linked to major crustal stresses and to volcanic activity. The extract identifies the Miocene as the main period for the commencement of volcanicity in East Africa, in association with the forces that formed the Great Rift Valley. Volcanic cones and highland masses created some of Africa’s most elevated landscapes despite their equatorial location.
The rift also altered the relationship between Africa and Arabia. Until the Miocene, Arabia was effectively integrated with Africa; subsequent faulting created the Red Sea trough as a major rift system and separated the two landmasses. The Great Rift Valley is consequently presented within a broader history of continental extension and tectonic fragmentation.
A further interpretation sees the rift as foreshadowing the eventual formation of a new ocean along its course. This would imply the future division of Africa into two continental entities, although the passage presents the idea as a geological interpretation rather than an established historical event.