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In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart [1] [2] and is an example of extensional tectonics. [3] Typical rift features are a central linear downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly a half-graben with normal faulting and rift-flank uplifts mainly on one side. [4]
A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates move apart, or rift. Rift valleys are found on land and at the bottom of the ocean, where they are created by the process of seafloor spreading.
Rifting is defined as the process where the lithosphere of a continent thins, leading to the separation of tectonic plates and the formation of a mid-oceanic ridge through sea-floor spreading.
The East African Rift System (EARS) is one of the geologic wonders of the world, a place where the earth's tectonic forces are presently trying to create new plates by splitting apart old ones. In simple terms, a rift can be thought of as a fracture in the earth's surface that widens over time, or more technically, as an elongate basin bounded ...
A Rift Zone is defined as a tectonically active area on the Earth's surface characterized by a depressed land form parallel to faulting, where the lithosphere thins due to the upwelling of hot mantle or magma, leading to the formation of large domal structures, faulted blocks, and volcanic activity.
Rifts can be summarized as geographical regions consisting of extensional sedimentary basins of various sizes, with various tectonic and sedimentary geometries that are linked in various structural contexts. This chapter provides a list of the main types of rifts and case examples.
Rift basins have been increasingly the focus of research in tectonics, structural geology, and basin analysis. The reasons for this interest include: (1) Rift basins are found on all passive (Atlantic-type) continental margins and provide a record of the early stages of (super)continental breakup.