East African Rift Valley

East African continent fault zone

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synonym East African Rift Valley (East African Rift Valley) generally refers to the East African Great Rift Valley (eastern fault zone of African continent)

This entry is made by Compilation and application of scientific encyclopedia entries of "Science Popularization China" to examine.

The East African Rift Valley is the largest Fault zone From the satellite photos, it looks like a huge scar. The Great Rift Valley of East Africa is known as the "scar of the earth". This rift zone is located in Africa East, south Zambezi River Downstream of valley , northbound longitude Shire River Guzhi Lake Malawi (Nyasa Lake) is divided into east and west branches in the north.

Chinese name: East African Rift Valley
Foreign name: East African Great Rift Valley
Alias: East African Rift
The most in the world: The largest fault zone on the world continent

Recommended travel time: 1 day
Opening Hours: all day
Ticket Price: Free Admission
Continent: Africa

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East African Rift Valley

When flying across the vast the indian ocean When entering the equator above the East African continent, looking down from the aircraft window, there is a huge "knife mark" on the ground, which is the famous "East Africa Rift Valley", also known as the "East Africa Grand Canyon". According to the measurement of American spacecraft, the Great Rift Valley widens at the speed of several millimeters to tens of millimeters every year. Some scientists predict that if it continues at this rate, it will tear into a new continent in 200 million years. This great rift valley, whose length is equal to 1/6 of the earth's circumference, is the largest rift valley belt in the world with grand momentum and spectacular scenery. Some people call it "a big scar on the earth's surface".^[1]

geographical position

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The whole shape of the East African Rift Valley can be drawn into an irregular triangle. The valley is tens to 200 kilometers wide and 1000 to 2000 meters deep. The east branch of the Rift Valley starts from the mouth of the Shire River in the south Lake Malawi , running northward East African Plateau Central and Ethiopian Plateau Central, direct Crimson Sea The north end is about 5800km long; The west branch starts from the northwest end of Lake Malawi in the south and passes through Tanganyika Lake 、 Lake Kivu 、 Mobutu Lake And so on, all the way to White Nile Valley, with a total length of more than 1700 kilometers, is the longest discontinuous valley in the world John Walter Gugli Named. If the detailed geographical location of the East African Rift Valley is described by three points of a triangle, the south point is Mozambique At the mouth of the sea, the northwest point is as far as Sudan Jordan River , the north point can enter dead sea 。 There are quite a few lakes and volcanoes in the middle. The Great Rift Valley is a natural reservoir, which gathers most of Africa's lakes, with a total of more than 30.

Causes

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Schematic Diagram of East African Rift Valley

According to the investigation and research of geologists Africa plate and Indian Ocean Plate At the junction, about 30 million years ago, due to the tension of two plates Continental drift The rift valley was formed by movement. At that time, the crust of this region was in the period of great movement, and the whole region was uplifted mantle The material rises and splits, producing huge tension. It is under the effect of this tension that the crust breaks, forming rifts. Due to the continuous uplift movement, the crustal fracture is constantly generated, and the underground lava is constantly gushing out, gradually forming a tall Lava plateau 。 The volcanoes on the plateau have become numerous peaks, while the subsidence zone of the fault has become the bottom of the Great Rift Valley, with a total length of 6400 kilometers.

The subsidence of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa began the oligocene epoch , the main fault movement occurs in Miocene , period of significant dislocation from pliocene Until the quaternary period 。 The northern section forms the Red Sea the arabian peninsula Separation from the African continent; Madagascar The island is also separated from the African continent by the expansion of several active rifts^[2] 。

Rift branch

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This rift zone is located in eastern Africa, starting from the south Zambezi River The downstream valley of Shire River Guzhi Lake Malawi (Nyasa Lake) is divided into east and west branches in the north.

East Branch Rift Zone

The eastern branch rift is the main rift Lake Victoria In the east, it runs northward through the middle of Tanzania Aiyaxi Lake 、 Natron Lake Etc., passing through northern Kenya Lake Turkana as well as Ethiopian Plateau Midland Lake Abaya 、 Zihuai Lake Wait, keep heading north Crimson Sea From the Red Sea to the northwest Jordan Valley It is nearly 6000 kilometers long. The width of the rift here is about dozens to 200 kilometers, and the valley bottom is mostly flat. There are steep cliffs on both sides of the rift valley, and the height difference between the valley bottom and the top of the cliff varies from several hundred meters to 2000 meters.

West Branch Rift Zone

Roughly along Lake Victoria The west side crosses from south to north Tanganyika Lake 、 Lake Kivu , Lake Edward, Lake Albert, etc Sudan Domestic White Nile Nearby, it gradually disappears northward, with a relatively small scale and a total length of more than 1700 kilometers. There are many volcanoes on the plateaus on both sides of the East African Rift Zone, such as Kilimanjaro 、 Mount Kenya 、 Nyiragongo Volcano There are more than 30 beaded lakes at the bottom of the valley. Most of these lakes are long, narrow and deep. The length of Tanganyika Lake in the north is 670 kilometers, and the width from east to west is 40 to 80 kilometers. It is the world's longest lake, with an average water depth of 1130 meters, second only to North Asia Of Lake Baikal It is the second deepest lake in the world.

In Kenya, the outline of the Rift Valley is very clear. It runs through the north and south, splitting the country in half, just crossing the equator across the country. Therefore, Kenya has won a very interesting title: "East Africa Cross". On both sides of the rift valley, there are broken walls and cliffs. The mountains rise and fall like two towering walls Nairobi It is located above the east "wall" at the southern end of the rift valley. Climbing up the cliff, we can see the pines and cypresses at the bottom of the rift valley are green and unfathomable. The extinct volcanoes are like bullets thrown in the ravines, and the lakes are like sparkling gems. Rift right Mount Kenya , 5199m above sea level, the second highest peak in Africa.

This area is the Great Plains of East Africa and the highest landowner in Africa. The climate is mild and cool, the rainfall is abundant, the mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the products are rich, rich in tea, coffee, fruits Pyrethrum 、 sisal Etc. Here, coffee beans can be picked twice a year, tea can be picked every half month for more than 9 months a year, pyrethrum can be picked every 10 to 14 days a year, and sisal can be harvested every day when it is ripe.

The Great Rift Valley in East Africa is also a huge natural reservoir. Most African lakes are concentrated here. There are about 30 large and small lakes, such as Lake Abbe 、 Sala Lake , Turkana Lake Lake Magadi 、 Lake Malawi 、 Tanganyika Lake Etc. These lakes in the rift zone are blue, vast and ever-changing. They are not only tourist attractions, but also rich in water, fertile lakeside land, lush vegetation and numerous wild animals, elephant 、 Hippo 、 Africa lion 、 rhinoceros 、 antelope , fox and wolf Red Crane Vultures, etc. all live here. The governments of Tanzania, Kenya and other countries have turned these places into wildlife parks or wildlife nature reserves, for example, located in the capital of Kenya's Canyon Province Nakuru Suburban Nakuru Lake It is a lake rich in bird resources. There are more than 400 kinds of birds in total. It is a national park under key protection in Kenya. Among the numerous birds, there is one called Flamingo Is called the most beautiful bird in the world. Generally, there are 50000^[2-3] Many flamingos gather in the lake area, up to 150000 at most. When thousands of birds fly on the lake or perch on the lakeside, from afar, a rosy glow is very beautiful.

Before seeing the East African Rift Valley, many people believed that it must be a long, dark, gloomy, and horrible deep gully with long grass, jagged rocks, and no one to smoke. In fact, when you come to the Rift Valley, you can see a completely different scene: in the distance, dense virgin forest is covered with continuous peaks, and the hillside is full of blooming purple red and light yellow flowers cactus 、 Cactus Nearby, the grassland is vast, with green bushes scattered, weeds green and flowers fragrant. Several lakes in the depth of the grassland are sparkling, and the mountains and waters are white. At the bottom of the Rift Valley, it is flat and smooth, with abundant grass and lush trees.

Many volcanoes

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There are many volcanoes on both sides of the rift zone, among which Kilimanjaro 、 Mount Kenya Most famous. Kilimanjaro has been turned into a national park and listed in the World Natural Heritage List by UNESCO.

East African Rift Valley

The magic, magnificence and Hemingway The Snow of Kilimanjaro expects more people to appreciate and taste it.

Mount Kilimanjaro is located in the northeast of Tanzania, adjacent to Kenya. It is composed of three conical volcanic hills overlaid by strong surging underground lava. Main peak Kibo Peak（“ Wuhulu Peak ”）5963 meters high, the highest mountain in Africa“ African Ridge ”It is called. peak Snowline At an altitude of about 5000 meters, there is a crater with a diameter of 2400 meters and a depth of 200 meters at the summit. The mouth is covered with ice and snow, just like a huge jade basin. As it is close to the equator, when the climate is hot, the temperature at the foot of the mountain is sometimes as high as 59 ℃, and the temperature at the peak is often 34 ℃ below zero.

Kilimanjaro The vegetation of. from Savanna 、 Tropical rain forest 、 Subtropical Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest Up to alpine grassland, desert and glacier. The emerald green posture supports the white jade crown, which can be seen as far as 200 kilometers away. When viewed from the extreme, green and white, clouds and mist all make people's minds move.

Rift lake

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At the bottom of the rift valley is an open field, with more than 20 long and narrow lakes scattered in the valley like crystal sapphires. Midland Lake Naivasha and Nakuru Lake It is the habitat of birds and other animals, as well as an important tourist area and wildlife reserve in Kenya. Among them, Navasha Lake is the highest lake in the Rift Valley at an altitude of 1900 meters. The southern Magadi Lake produces natural alkali, which is an important mineral resource in Kenya. north Lake Turkana , one of the birthplaces of human beings, where 2.6 million years ago ancient hominid skull fossils were found.

The Great Rift Valley in East Africa is also a huge natural reservoir. Most African lakes are concentrated here. There are about 30 large and small lakes, such as Lake Abbe 、 Sala Lake , Turkana Lake Lake Magadi , (located on the plateau between the eastern and western rift belts) Lake Victoria 、 Lake Keoga It is a shallow lake formed by local depression of land. The former is the largest lake in Africa. Lake Malawi (The length is equivalent to 7 times of its maximum width, and the maximum depth is 706 meters, second only to the Russian Lake Baikal , the fourth deep lake in the world) Tanganyika Lake (The length is 10.3 times of its maximum width, and the deepest reaches 1470 meters, making it the first deep lake in Africa and the second deep lake in the world).

The northern part of Kenya is an endless desert. Due to drought and desolation, there are few people here, and there are almost no crops growing here. Only a few thorns and shrubs are sparsely distributed, and the local residents are mainly nomadic or semi nomadic. However, when you fly over this land by plane, looking down from the window, it seems that there is a huge and beautiful crystal bead jumping on the vast wilderness. This is the famous inland lake in Africa - Turkana Lake, also known as Jasper Lake. Turkana Lake was once called "Ludor Lake", Ludorf is Austria The name of the prince was changed to that of Turkana tribe of Maasai nationality on the west bank of the lake in 1975.

Turkana Lake is also one of many lakes in the East African Rift Valley. The lake area is in a strip shape, stretching 256km from north to south, and extending northward to Ethiopia The boundary is 50 to 60 kilometers wide from east to west, covering an area of more than 6400 square kilometers. Hunan is 375 meters above sea level. It is not only the largest lake in Kenya, but also the largest lake in the world salt water lake one of.

because Lake Turkana It is located in arid area, with insufficient water source Erosion It is relatively weak, so today it still stays in a state of isolation and isolation. Since the lake water can not flow out, a large alkaline lake has been formed. The lake water has a clear sense of smoothness, showing a strong decontamination ability. In fact, in those ancient times, Turkana Lake was once the same as the Nile It is the same, just because of the later crustal movement , and gradually lose contact with each other. Today's Turkana Lake is a deep water area in the south, with the deepest depth of about 120 meters.

In the center of the lake, there are three small islands in the south, north and middle, which are covered with green grass. The water of Turkana Lake is green and cool. Interestingly, except for the high salinity in the southern lake, which can extract various salts, the water of other shallow lakes is only slightly salty and can still be drunk. In particular, the lake area is extremely rich in aquatic products. There are many kinds of fish, and the fish are relatively large. Some fish are about several meters long and weigh about one hundred kilograms. Especially in the lake carp There are a large number of carp, which can overturn the wooden boat in the lake when angry.

because Lake Turkana It is formed by the subsidence of faults. There are many volcano 。 These have long been extinguished“ Extinct volcano ”, like huge cones standing proudly on the East African Plateau, it is particularly spectacular and eye-catching. Because these volcanoes erupted many times in the past, the volcanic efflorescence has formed a thick layer of dark brown soil, which is very fertile. In addition, the climate is hot and humid, which is very suitable for the growth of various plants. The volcanic mountainside and lakeside areas are covered with dense trees and grass, green banana and plantain bushes, fresh and tender green vine frames, huge mango trees coconut tree 、 Palm tree And so on, everywhere. Clusters of trees and grass inhabit antelope 、 zebra 、 wild deer And other animals. In the daytime, the lake area is quiet; At dusk, the antelopes came out of the grass one after another, and the zebras chased and screamed to the lakeside to drink. The lakeside suddenly became lively.

Lake Turkana Human beings lived long ago and are one of the birthplaces of human beings. Since 1967, archaeologists have continuously found a large number of Paleoanthropology Fossil Paleolithic and mammalian fossils, of which the age of the stone tools is as far as 2 million years ago. The Turkana lakeside area has always been famous in Africa nomadic people -- Maasai In the activity area of human beings, the inhabitants of this nation are brave, tenacious, simple and honest, and still maintain many fascinating traditional customs.

Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria It is located between two rift valleys. The lake is mostly located in Tanzania and Uganda It is the boundary lake between the two countries and Kenya. With an area of 69000 square kilometers, it is the largest in Africa Freshwater lake , second only to North America Lake Superior 。 It is also the main water source of the Nile. In 1860, British explorer Spike came here to investigate the Nile The lake was named after Queen Victoria.

Lake Victoria Lakeside line tortuous. Perennial Kagera River The only outlet of the lake is on the north bank Victoria Nile Where 600 cubic meters per second are formed Liben Falls 。 The famous Nile tributary White Nile It originated here. Lake Victoria is rich in aquatic products, especially African crucian carp , Nile Perch Most famous.

Tanganyika Lake

"Tanganyika" means "confluence" or "gathering" in Bantu language, which means that numerous streams converge here and many tribes live in groups along the lake. Tanganyika Lake It is located in the western rift valley of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. It belongs to the standard rift lake. The faulting formed high cliffs around the lake shore. The winding shoreline of the lake is 1900 kilometers long. The lake is 1470 meters deep, second only to Lake Baikal The world's second deepest lake. With an area of 33000 square kilometers, it is the world's largest The Great Lakes 。 For Africa burundi 、 Democratic Republic of the Congo , Tanzania, and Zambia It is shared by four countries.

Tanganyika Lake is home to fish and birds because of its rich and clean water. There are at least 300 species of cichlids and 150 species of non cichlids in the lake. Most live at the bottom of the lake. The African crucian carp here is the most famous. There are not only a large number of birds, but also many kinds White breasted crow 、 Red throated finch 、 turtledove 、 Egret 、 oriole 、 Grey stork , parrots and so on, among which the most famous is the red crane.

Tanganyika Lake has beautiful scenery and pleasant climate. The surrounding plants grow luxuriantly and wild animals appear in groups. There are many crocodiles and hippos in the lake, and elephants, antelopes, lions, giraffes, etc. are around.

Lake Malawi

“ Malawi ”It means "flame" in the local Nyonga language. The lake is long and narrow, with an area of 30800 square kilometers, an average depth of 273 meters, and the deepest depth of 706 meters. Its water volume is equivalent to 300 Poyang Lake Is the fourth deep lake in the world. Most waters are located in Republic of Malawi Domestic.

Lake Malawi There are more than 500 kinds of fish in 10 families, of which more than 90% are endemic. The fish here are as important in studying biological evolution as finches are Galapagos Islands 。

Malawi Lake National Park The mammals in include Hippo 、 leopard 、 Curved horned antelope 、 Sousai 、 Gazelle 、 Impala , grey Diving antelope 、 Baboon 、 Green macaque and Dahe pig Etc. There are thousands of islands in the park White breasted cormorant There are also many osprey living along the coast. Reptiles use Bay crocodile 、 lizard And various snakes.

Lake Malawi The lakeshore is beautiful and vast. Surrounded by mountains, verdant fields, clouds and fog, it is like a fairyland. In 1984, Lake Malawi National Park was listed by UNESCO as“ World Natural Heritage ”。

Rift Valley Grassland

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Atlas of East African Rift Valley (27 sheets)

Grassland is an important landscape in the rift zone. The grassland here not only covers a large area, but also integrates most characteristics of Africa Animal resources 。 Masai Mara and Serengeti The two national parks are typical representatives of grasslands. Although it belongs to Kenya and Tanzania respectively, it is connected.

Masai Mara National Park

Masemara National Park is located in the southwest corner of Kenya, with an area of more than 1500 square kilometers. It is adjacent to the Serengeti Wildlife Park in Tanzania, and is one of the most famous wildlife reserves in the world. There are not only many kinds of wild animals here, but also a large population. The main animals are cheetah, African elephant, black rhinoceros, hippo, zebra, giraffe, bison, wildebeest, antelope, lion Spotted hyena 、 Small mountain reedbuck 、 jackal 、 Gazelle 、 Bat eared Fox 、 Honey bear , mongoose Beaver 、 Warthog , fox and wolf Red Crane Vultures and 7 primates. The governments of Kenya and other countries have designated these places as wildlife parks or wildlife reserves.

In the endless wilderness, 1.4 million wildebeests and 200000 zebras will migrate northward from Tanzania to Masai Mara every rainy season. The rumbling hoof sound rises one after another like thunder, which is very spectacular.

Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park Located in northern Tanzania, it is connected to Masemara National Park in Kenya. It is the core part of many wildlife reserves in East Africa.

The park vegetation is mainly open grass prototype plants. The main plants are crabgrass and Sage Equal to thatch and Water centipede Plants, lowland and mountain plants are mainly acacia. There are two rivers facing west in the park with water all the year round, as well as many lakes, marshes and springs, making it a paradise for wild animals.

The park has a large animal community. Most of the 95 mammal species are endemic here. They migrate between seasonal water sources and grasslands. In 1991, the last group of wild dogs disappeared from the park. There are also 450 kinds of birds, including 34 kinds of raptors, 6 kinds of vultures, great bustard, ostrich and red stork (flamingo).

Serengeti National Park, together with Masemara National Park in Kenya, is listed by UNESCO《 World Heritage List 》。

Human origin

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The East African Rift Valley is one of the oldest birthplaces of human civilization. In the late 1950s, in the west of the East Branch of the East African Rift Valley and in northern Tanzania Auduwe Valley The skull fossil of a prehistoric man was found. According to the measurement and analysis, the living age is 2 million years ago. This skull fossil was named East African Warrior“ East African ”。

In 1972, in the northern part of the rift valley Lake Turkana A 2.9 million year old skull was unearthed at the bank. Its animal is very similar to modern people, and is considered to be a typical "capable man" who has completed the transition from ape to man.

In 1975, in the rift zone at the border between Tanzania and Kenya, the remains of "capable man" that has been 3.5 million years ago were found, and a 22 meter long "capable man" footprint was found in the hardened volcanic ash layer. This shows that as early as 3.5 million years ago, there were people who could walk upright in the Great Rift Valley, and they were the earliest members of human beings.

This series of archaeological discoveries in the Great Rift Valley region of East Africa proves that Colonialism The so-called "barbaric, poor and backward Africa" is actually one of the cradles of human civilization and a land with splendid ancient civilization.

On the issue of the origin of mankind, there are two concepts: the origin of the hominid family and the origin of Homo sapiens (late Homo sapiens, namely modern man). There is not much controversy in academic circles. There are two hypotheses about the origin of Homo sapiens in academic circles. Many scientists support“ African origin theory ”That is, the ancestors of modern humans living around the world originated in Africa about 200000 years ago, and then left Africa within 100000 years ago to spread to Asia and Europe. A few scientists also support the "multi regional evolution theory", believing that the human races on all continents are continuously evolved from the local early humans, that is, modern humans originated in Europe, Asia and Africa respectively.

Since the late 1980s, a series of DNA research evidences have provided strong support for modern people's African origin theory. But the "African origin theory" has a defect: it lacks the support of modern human fossils from 100000 to 200000 years ago.

In 1997, an international research team led by American scientist White found three human skull fossils in Ethiopia's Afa Basin. A few years later, they published their research results in the journal Nature. These skull fossils lived about 160000 years ago and were the oldest modern human fossils found at that time. This discovery adds an important weight to the theory of African origin. According to an article published in Nature, scientists confirmed that two human skull fossils found in Ethiopia in 1967 are 195000 years old. Previously, it was thought that the two skulls were 154000 to 160000 years old. This provides new evidence for the origin of modern people in Africa.

Academician of CAS Ancient Chinese Academy of Sciences vertebrate And researcher of Institute of Paleoanthropology Wu Xinzhi As early as 1984, he and his colleagues in the United States and Australia jointly put forward the "multi region evolution theory": Homo erectus has independently evolved into modern Africans, Asians, Australians and Europeans since it spread from Africa to other continents of the world 1 million to 2 million years ago, and has evolved in a continuous evolutionary way in every place to produce modern humans. He believes that since East African Homo erectus entered China more than one million years ago, Chinese ancient humans have continuously evolved, with a small amount of hybridization with foreign populations. In other words, Peking Man about 500000 years ago is still the ancestor of Chinese people.

Fudan University The Academy of Life Sciences began to collect DNA samples from various ethnic groups in China in 1997. After analyzing nearly 20000 DNA samples, it concluded that about 100000 years ago, modern Homo sapiens gradually migrated out of Africa to Central Asia, where some people settled down and further differentiated human beings. About 40000 to 60000 years ago, some people migrated to East Asia and entered the mainland of China; After 40000 years of evolution, these people gradually branched out and produced 56 nationalities. Jin Li, president of the School of Life Sciences of Fudan University, pointed out that modern man is a single species, while apes everywhere belong to different species. Only East African ape man has embarked on the path of evolution to modern man, so Peking ape man cannot become the ancestor of Chinese people.

Future destiny

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In a broad sense, the East African Rift Valley starts from West Asia in the north and is close to Iskenderun Port From South Turkey to Southeast Africa Beira Port Nearby Mozambique coast. It spans more than 50 latitudes with a total length of more than 6500km. People call it "the biggest scar on the earth". Since ancient times, the Great Rift Valley in East Africa has always been eye-catching; In today's world, the future destiny of the East African Rift Valley is of great concern to the whole world.

John George, a British geographer, conducted a five week field survey of the Rift Valley in 1893. He imagined that the East African Rift Valley was not scoured by rivers like the Grand Canyon in the United States, but formed a valley with cliffs on both sides because of the subsidence of the crust. This is called geomorphically“ Graben ”。 The founders and advocates of the continental drift theory and plate tectonics theory competed to take the East African Rift Valley as strong evidence to support their theories. When studying the Kenya Rift Zone, some people noticed that the ages of the faults and volcanic rocks on both sides were increasing with the increasing distance from the axis of the rift, so they thought that this was the center of a continental expansion. According to the measurements made by the American "Gemini" spacecraft in the 1960s, the expansion speed of the Red Sea in the northern part of the Rift Valley reached 2cm per year; On the African continent, the rift valley is widened by several millimeters to tens of millimeters every year. November 6, 1978, located in Djibouti The surface of the Afar Triangle suddenly ruptured, Altukoba Volcano It erupted suddenly within a few minutes and separated the African continent from the Arabian Peninsula by another 1.2 meters. Some scientists point out that, Crimson Sea and Gulf of Aden It is the product of this expansion movement. They also predicted that if we continue at this rate, in another 200 million years, the Great Rift Valley in East Africa will be completely torn open, "giving birth" to a new ocean, just like the Atlantic Ocean. However, against Plate theory While others think these are alarmist. They believe that the relative position of the continent and the ocean will not change significantly in the past or in the future, and the crustal activity is mainly up and down Vertical movement The rift valley is just a subsidence area. After it has accepted huge thickness of sedimentation, it may also turn upward in the future, rising into mountains instead of sinking into oceans.

In September 2005, the ground in a place in northern Ethiopia suddenly sank 10 feet and quickly split to both sides. The large hole that split was enough to swallow several camels and goats. In the next three weeks, 160 earthquakes occurred in this area, forming a large crack 25 feet wide and 0.34 miles long.

England Tim Wright, a geophysicist at the University of Leeds, used satellite radar data to accurately piece together the formation process of this crack. When the African and Arabian tectonic plates drift to both sides, the crust between the two plates will become weak. Wright said: "The magma formed at the bottom of the crust will drop down regularly, just like the 'lava lamp', forming a cavity shaped 'balloon', which will gradually expand. When the 'balloon' reaches the critical pressure, it will explode."

According to Wright's estimation, the cracks will continue to expand in the next 1 million years or so Horn of Africa It will be completely separated from the African continent, forming the eighth continent on the earth - East Africa. Wright said that this kind of geological process is always happening, but ground fissures usually only occur at the bottom of the sea, which is difficult for people to see. He said, "This is the first time that we have directly observed this extremely important geological process with modern instruments."

This discovery has stirred the scientific community. In 2006, research teams from Britain, France, Italy and the United States came one after another Afar 。 After analysis and research, they predicted that a new continent would be formed in one million years, and the Great Rift Valley in East Africa would be 10 times longer than it is today Cape of Good Hope Will be separated from the African continent. In this regard, Cindy Ebinger, an American geologist, said, "Many people believe that severe Geological phenomenon It only happened in the remote ancient times, but we can see that they are happening now. "

What is the future destiny of the East African Rift Valley? Maybe mankind has to wait and see.

Related books

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Title: The Most Beautiful Scar on the Face of the Earth - Uncovering the Secrets of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa (published book of Chinese scientists' scientific expedition to the Great Rift Valley in East Africa)

Press: Huacheng Press, January 2008

Number of words: more than 50000

Picture: hundreds of wonderful pictures

Format: 16 format full color pages

Price: 49 yuan

content

The author of this book follows Chinese scientific exploration The Association has personally experienced the Great Rift Valley in East Africa and created this book focusing on the history, culture, natural environment and cultural landscape of East Africa (mainly Ethiopia). The book describes the discovery of the earliest and most complete ancient human remains, nicknamed "Lucy"; Interesting customs and various unique and endangered rare animals in East Africa; Listed World Cultural Heritage The eight scenic spots are very knowledgeable and interesting. The pictures in the book are the latest first-hand information, which are taken by the author himself. This book also specially invites famous Chinese Academy of Sciences Paleoanthropology Mr. Jia Huang Wanbo's preface adds a certain degree of academic value on the basis of readability.

This book integrates East African exploration, tourism and archaeology. It is not only a rare cultural tourism guide, but also an interesting textbook for ancient humans, wild animals and African history suitable for all ages. Opening this book is like visiting the Great Rift Valley.

Africa is the origin of mankind. The earliest and most complete human remains - "Lucy" - have been excavated here.

There are endangered Rare wild animals , unique and interesting customs, and eight scenic spots listed in the world cultural and natural heritage. You can enter Ethiopia, the second oldest Christian country in the world, and visit the legendary Ark of God; You can also enjoy 13 months of sunshine in the flower city without door number.

catalog

preface: The Cradle of Human Rise Huang Wanbo

"Compared vertically and horizontally, on the vast land, there is only one center of human origin, namely Africa."

The African continent on the map looks like a Australopithecus A fossil skull of. While the East African Rift Valley spans almost all countries in East Africa, with Ethiopia being the longest. The Afa Basin has recorded too many honors and dreams in ancient anthropology.

Chapter I: 3.2 million year old mother

——Pursue our common ancestor

Discover the legendary experience of "Lucy". One of the oldest human skeleton fossils named after the Beatles' famous music confirms the revelry of the discoverers in the 1970s——

"In a sense, I think we found a mother."

Chapter II: Visit the Great Rift Valley

The African Rift Valley is not an abyss. Its widest point is more than 200 kilometers. There are plains and mountains. All kinds of wonders are at the bottom of the valley, with the footprints of "Lucy" people, but also bats, monkeys, lions, baboons Warthog The paradise of flamingos. There are also critically endangered species: Ehrwolf equus asinus Black rhinoceros

Chapter 3: History and heritage

Ethiopia is the second oldest Christian country in the world. According to legend, the sacred object "Ark of the Covenant", which stores the "Ten Commandments" of God, is hidden in a mysterious church here. The eight major world cultural and natural heritages have proved the glory this country has experienced and the unimaginable great changes in its destiny. The 8th Wonder of the World Lalibella Stone Cathedral After 700 years of deep burial, he came to the world.

Chapter IV: Beautiful black

"Ethiopia" means "suntanned face". They are beautiful. This male land is rarely gentle and wild. "They are still living there... It is both worrisome and miraculous," the writer Paul Teru said of the current situation in Africa.

Chapter V: Wilderness · Land

The land of the Great Rift Valley breeds ten different ecosystems, including cactus, shrubs, grassland, forest land... The climate here is mild, and the products are rich, rich in tea, fruit, and coffee. About 1/3 of the world's people drink coffee, but few people know that coffee originated in Ethiopia, and the coffee tree is their national tree.

Chapter 6: capital Addis Ababa

Here, you can enjoy 13 months of sunshine a year, one of which only has 5 days. The highest city in Africa means "fresh flowers". In this world's only capital without a house number, there is only a post office and no postman. Will you get lost in it?^[3]

world record

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The longest rift zone in the world: The East African Rift Valley is the largest fault zone on the world continent, which looks like a huge scar from the satellite photos. It is about 4400 km (2730 miles) long. (Guinness World Records)

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