The East African Rift formed in the southern end of the Great Rift Valley, which stretches from Lebanon in the north to Mozambique in the south, on the boundary of three tectonic plates: the African Nubian, African Somali, and Arabian. The three plates are separating at varying rates: the Nubian African Plate, the Somalian African Plate, and the Arabian Plate. This creates a rift valley, which is a lowland area formed when Earth’s tectonic plates separate, or rift. Rift valleys are distinct from river valleys and glacial valleys in that they are formed by tectonic action rather than erosion, reports National Geographic. Yet, in eastern Africa, the Somali plate is also separating from the Nubian plate, tearing apart along the East African Rift Valley, which runs through Ethiopia and Kenya.

Source: Ethiopian News March 19, 2023 12:11 UTC