Continental drift describes one of the earliest ways geologists thought continents moved over time. 3 The Rift Valley, the scene of the clashes involving Moi's minority Kalenjin people, was described a war zone. A continent is one of Earth’s seven main divisions of land. the sudden shaking of Earth's crust caused by the release of energy along fault lines or from volcanic activity. Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Physical Geography, Photograph by Emory Kristof, National Geographic. Today, the theory of continental drift has been replaced by the science of plate tectonics. natural hot spring that sometimes erupts with water or steam. See Great Rift Valley. Delivered to your inbox! A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift. ecosystem filled with trees and underbrush. 1145 17th Street NW Great rift valley definition, a series of rift valleys running from N to S, from the Jordan Valley in SW Asia to Mozambique in SE Africa. As you might guess, a 'rift' is rift valley - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums. region of southwest Asia and northeast Africa. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. old, stable part of continental crust, made up of shields and platforms. 'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'. A rift valley’s walls may stand at heights of hundred feets, and they drop away in the form of terraces and steps. Found 335 sentences matching phrase "rift valley".Found in 10 ms. See the full definition for rift valley in the English Language Learners Dictionary, Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rift valley, Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rift valley. Teach your students about plate tectonics using these classroom resources. When the tensional forces are strong enough to cause the plate to split apart, a center block drops between the two blocks at its flanks, forming a graben. © 1996 - 2021 National Geographic Society. rift valleys synonyms, rift valleys pronunciation, rift valleys translation, English dictionary definition of rift valleys. Valles Marineris was formed millions of years ago, when the rocky Martian lithosphere was still rifting and shifting. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! One of the most important features of the Gregory Rift is the Afar Triple Junction, found where the Horn of Africa straddles the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea. As these rifts continue, the narrow, The Western Rift, also called the Albertine Rift, includes many of the, Lake Baikal, the rift lake over the Baikal Rift Valley in Siberia, is the deepest and oldest freshwater lake in the world. Learn more. lake formed as a result of plate tectonics separating the Earth's crust and water collecting in the depression. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. Weathering is the process of the weakening and breakdown of rocks, metals, and manmade objects. area of land covered by shallow water or saturated by water. Landforms are natural and distinctive features. movement of tectonic plates resulting in geologic activity such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The East African Rift, the Baikal Rift Valley, the West Antarctic Rift, and the Rio Grande Rift are Earth’s major active continental rift valleys. An example of physical weathering is wind blowing across the desert playas. Code of Ethics. Also called the Rift Valley Lakes and the East African Lakes. Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa, is not a rift lake, for instance. Define rift valleys. Be warned. Rift valleys can also form at transform faults, where tectonic plates are grinding past each other. series of faults and other sites of tectonic activity stretching from southwestern Asia to the Horn of Africa. (geography: lowland) fosa tectónica loc nom f locución nominal femenina: Unidad léxica estable formada de dos o más palabras que funciona como sustantivo femenino ("casa de citas", "zona cero", "arma secreta"). DICTIONARY.COM boundary between two tectonic plates, where the plates are moving horizontally or vertically in opposite directions, not against or away from each other. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. A 37-mile wide depression, for example, occurs in East Africa along the Great Rift Valley. If successful, this program would provide a sustainable energy source for millions of people, many of whom do not have access to electricity today. There are two main types of weathering: chemical and physical. massive slab of solid rock made up of Earth's lithosphere (crust and upper mantle). Rift Valleys are typically long and narrow, stretching for hundreds of miles. Estudios Geológicos, 30: 219–227 Aguirre, E. Farther north the western depression, known as the Great Rift Valley is occupied for more than half its length by water, forming the Great Lakes of Tanganyika, Kivu, Lake Edward and Lake Albert, the first-named over 400 miles (600 km) long and the longest freshwater lake in the world. Caused mostly by the burning of fossil fuels, acid rain is a form of precipitation with high levels of sulfuric acid, which can cause erosion in the materials in which it comes in contact. They come from many sources and are not checked. thin layer of the Earth that sits beneath ocean basins. What does rift-valley mean? an opening in the Earth's crust, through which lava, ash, and gases erupt, and also the cone built by eruptions. Accessed 17 Mar. Updated with more commonly confused words! In the original definition by John W. Gregory (1894) a rift valley is "a linear valley with parallel and almost vertical sides, which has fallen owing to … Rift valleys occur on the continents as well as on the ocean floor where they arise from seafloor separation. lake with a high concentration of carbonate salts. What made you want to look up rift valley? depression in the ground caused by the Earth's crust spreading apart. for patients who meet the case definition, and in such instances submit specimens to the NICD-NHLS for laboratory testing. Also called an extensional boundary. Rift Valley Fever Surveillance . Very few active rift valleys are found on continental lithosphere. middle layer of the Earth, made of mostly solid rock. A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift or fault. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rift valley.' She or he will best know the preferred format. The Baikal Rift Valley (sometimes called the Baikal Rift Zone) cuts through 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) of, The West Antarctic Rift is a series of smaller rifts that roughly separate the two regions of Earth’s southernmost, The Rio Grande Rift is a series of rift valleys along faults in the Southwestern United States. In 1977, after decades of tediously collecting and mapping ocean sonar data, scientists began to see a fairly accurate picture of the seafloor emerge. A rift valley is a linear-shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift or fault. Rift definition: A rift between people or countries is a serious quarrel or disagreement that stops them... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples South of the Red Sea Rift lies the massive, The two major rift valley systems of the East African Rift are the Gregory Rift and the Western Rift. system of lakes in and around the Great Rift Valley: Lake Albert, Lake Edward, Lake Kivu, Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Turkana, and Lake Victoria. See more. n. A valley that has developed along a rift, especially one bounded by normal faults. steep volcano made of hardened lava, rock, and ash. Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible). Grabens Rift valleys are sometimes called grabens, which means “ditch” in German. Search through these resources to discover more about unique landforms and landscapes around the world. Today, these theories serve as the foundation upon which we understand the geologic processes that shape the Earth. The Salton Trough, which stretches through the states of California (United States) and Baja California (Mexico), is a rift valley created in part by the San Andreas Fault. all the different kinds of living organisms within a given area. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. The Earth’s crust is broken up into a series of massive sections called plates. American Association of Petroleum Geologists: Dead Sea Geology Promise Unmet, National Geographic Science: Valleys—Natural Depressions, National Geographic Science: Plate Tectonics. Also known as a composite volcano. These tectonic plates rest upon the convecting mantle, which causes them to move. Scientists think that the tectonic activity that created the East African Rift also contributed to creating an environment that was ideal to the proliferation of life. Aunque generalmente se habla de este valle para referirse solo a su parte africana, desde Yibuti a Mozambique, lo cierto es que el mar Rojo y el valle del Jordán también forman parte de él. A rift valley is a linear-shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift or fault. The movements of these plates can account for noticeable geologic events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and more subtle yet sublime events, like the building of mountains. RVF is a zoonotic mosquito-borne viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants that can cause severe disease in a small proportion of infected humans. All rights reserved. Definition of rift-valley noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. All of the rift valleys in the “system” are connected, but not part of a single unit. rocky outermost layer of Earth or other planet. A daily challenge for crossword fanatics. Although the Dead Sea is not the world's deepest lake, the deep Jordan Rift makes it the lowest land, The most famous rift lakes in the world may be the series of narrow, deep rift valleys in the East African Rift known simply as the Rift Valley lakes. These resources can be used to teach middle schoolers more about the natural world, its distinctive features, and landscapes. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. thick glacier covering most of Antarctica. What is Rift Valley fever? This process causes rocks to form a specific pyramid-like shape and they are called ventifacts. The Great Rift Valley is a series of contiguous geographic trenches, approximately 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi) in total length, that runs from the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon which is in Asia to Mozambique in Southeast Africa. The Rift Valley lakes, stretching from Ethiopia to Malawi, are sites of amazing. The United Nations Environment Program is developing a geothermal energy program that would tap into this potential. Medical Eponyms © Farlex 2012 Want to thank TFD for its existence? Rift valleys are, in fact, places of turmoil and change, but it's slow motion change and we owe our continents to them. Showing page 1. Geologists discovered that new seafloor is formed where the tectonic plates at the mid-ocean ridges spread apart from each other—hence the, This process is accompanied by surface manifestations along the, The East African Rift is one of the world’s largest, Post the Definition of rift valley to Facebook, Share the Definition of rift valley on Twitter, A Player's Guide to 'Q' without 'U' Words. A valley that has developed along a rift, especially one bounded by normal faults. Definition of rift valley written for English Language Learners from the Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and count/noncount noun labels. Valles Marineris reaches depths of up to 7 kilometers (4 miles) and spans about 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) long. Rift Valley Expeditions es una agencia de viajes especializada en África. The valley is part of a larger feature called the East African Rift System. Today, however, the Great Rift Valley exists as a cultural concept, not a scientific one. 5 The … The Gregory Rift stretches from the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea to as far south as Mount Kilimanjaro. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. The program would convert the heat created by the rift valley’s underground activity into electricity through a series of steam wells. large peninsula in northeast Africa, including the countries of Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. Lake Victoria’s basin formed as mountains uplifted around it. related to hot water, especially water heated by the Earth's internal temperature. While there is no official distinction between a graben and a rift valley, a graben usually describes a small rift valley. Washington, DC 20036, National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. region where the boundaries of three tectonic plates meet and interact. solid material transported and deposited by water, ice, and wind. Rift Valley virus - a virus of the genus Phlebovirus that occurs in central and southern Africa in sheep, goats, and cattle; humans may become infected with close contact with infected animals. Rift valleys are typically deep and narrow. Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral zoonosis that primarily affects animals but can also infect humans. One of the wells in Kenya produces enough power for 5,700 homes! Also called lithospheric plate. break in the Earth's crust created by it spreading or splitting apart. Also called the geosphere. Tú pide y nosotros le damos forma a tu aventura. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? land once connected to a continent but broken off by shifting tectonic plates. It did not sink as a result of the nearby East African Rift. National Geographic Headquarters outer, solid portion of the Earth. a crack in the Earth's crust where there has been movement. In addition, over the past 25 million years, layers of soft, The Dead Sea is a rift lake in the Jordan Rift Valley. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc. These rift valleys are dotted by volcanoes: Erta Ale, Ethiopia; Mount Kenya, Kenya (an. natural or artificial line separating two pieces of land. The East African Rift is part of the “Great Rift Valley” system discussed below. Rift valleys are found both on land and at the bottom of the ocean, where they are created by the process of seafloor spreading. depression in the earth created by a moving glacier. Learn a new word every day. You cannot download interactives. Send us feedback. ancient, giant landmass that split apart to form all the continents we know today. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. Rift valley: definition and geologic significance. rift in underwater mountain range where new oceanic crust is formed. Finds in the RiftMany, many important paleoanthropological discoveries have been made in the East African Rift, nicknamed the “cradle of humanity.” “Lucy,” for instance, is a 3.2 million-year-old hominin skeleton that was discovered in Ethiopia, while “Turkana Boy” is a 1.5-million-year old hominin skeleton unearthed in Kenya. Select from these resources to teach about the process of weathering in your classroom.a. Also called a collision zone. Translation memories are created by human, but computer aligned, which might cause mistakes. The continents are, from largest to smallest: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Privacy Notice | “Rift valley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rift%20valley. having to do with the physical formations of the Earth. small flow of water flowing naturally from an underground water source heated by hot or molten rock. El Gran Valle del Rift es una gran fractura geológica cuya extensión total es de 4830 kilómetros en dirección norte-sur. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. A rift valley is formed on a divergent plate boundary, a crustal extension or spreading apart of the surface, which is subsequently further deepened by the forces of erosion. 2. depression in the earth caused by a river eroding the surrounding soil. Definition of rift valley : an elongated valley formed by the depression of a block of the earth's crust between two faults or groups of faults of approximately parallel orientation Examples of … Also called an alkaline lake. large region that is higher than the surrounding area and relatively flat. The deepest parts of Lake Baikal are 1,642 meters (5,387 feet), and are getting deeper every year. narrow passage of water that connects two larger bodies of water. Also called a conservative plate boundary. area where two or more tectonic plates bump into each other. piece of land jutting into a body of water. On the continents, rift valleys form in divergence zones of tectonic plates. chemical compound often found as mineral salt in soils and bodies of water. process of one tectonic plate melting, sliding, or falling beneath another. and and ) ©Jeffrey Mariner. The majority of human infections result from contact with the blood or organs of infected animals. act in which earth is worn away, often by water, wind, or ice. The Rio Grande Rift separates the Colorado, The most well-known rift valley on Earth is probably the so-called ". (noun) Apasionados desde siempre con el continente africano, diseñamos el viaje de tus sueños. Rift valley, any elongated trough formed by the subsidence of a segment of the Earth’s crust between dip-slip, or normal, faults. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. A long, narrow valley lying between two normal geologic faults. type of tropical grassland with scattered trees. Sea level is determined by measurements taken over a 19-year cycle. The San Andreas is a, Many of Earth’s deepest rift valleys are found underwater, dividing long mountain ranges called. area where two or more tectonic plates are moving away from each other. Also called the Somali Peninsula. movement and interaction of the Earth's plates. Terms of Service | A steep-sided valley formed by the downward displacement of a block of the earth's surface between nearly parallel faults or fault systems. supercontinent of all the Earth's landmass that existed about 250 million years ago. The Rift Valley of eastern Africa and Asia (sometimes called the Great Rift Valley [GRV] or East African Rift system [EAR or EARS]) is an enormous geological split in the crust of the earth, thousands of kilometers long, up to 125 miles (200 kilometers) wide, and between a few hundred to thousands of meters deep. 2021. Explore how they show up in various landscapes. Rift valleys usually form where the Earth's lithosphere has become thin through extension associated with plate-tectonic processes. Such a fault is a fracture in the terrestrial surface in which the rock material on the upper side of the fault plane has been displaced downward relative to … The Tharp-Heezen map illustrated the geological features that characterize the seafloor and became a crucial factor in the acceptance of the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift. You've heard of rifts between siblings and valleys of depression, so a rift valley sounds like a pretty dire, contentious place. A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift. base level for measuring elevations. Valles MarinerisThe largest and deepest rift valley yet discovered is not on Earth—it’s on Mars. one of the seven main land masses on Earth. Two arms of the Afar Triple Junction continue to widen in the process of seafloor spreading—the arm extending into the Red Sea and the arm extending into the Gulf of Aden. Let Her Rift With so much volcanic and tectonic activity going on there, the East African Rift Valley is a potent power source. ‘The most important discussion of volcanic activity focuses on the Owens Valley, which is in fact an active rift valley.’ The continual erosion of the cliffs of East African Rift also contribute to the dozens of discoveries. Sustainability Policy | Human infections have also resulted from the bites of infected mosquitoes. region of land stretching across Russia from the Ural Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. rift valley definition: 1. a valley with steep sides formed by movements of the earth's surface 2. a valley with steep…. Lakes in the Rift Not all lakes located around the East African Rift are rift lakes. An example of chemical weathering is acid rain. rift valley n noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc. At the Afar Triple Junction, the Arabian plate, Nubian plate and Somali plate are all tearing away from each other. The Great Rift Valley is a vast break in Earth’s surface that runs along part of East Africa. failed or stunted arm of a triple junction in a plate tectonics rift system. rift valley - a valley with steep sides; formed by a rift in the earth's crust vale, valley - a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. The drop of the center creates the nearly parallel steeply dippi…