The African rift valley is one of the most fascinating natural wonders, known for its unique biodiversity and for being considered -for the important paleoanthropologic discoveries- the “cradle of mankind”, i.e. the place where our ancestors have evolved and diversified in the last millions of years. Characterized by a system of linear valleys extending for thousands of kilometers, the rift valley is a huge fracture on the surface of our planet that progressively widens with time, tearing the Eastern portion of the African continent apart. It represents a geological wonder where volcanism, earthquakes and fracturing of the Earth’s crust are the surface expressions of the enormous forces that shape our planet. These web pages are dedicated to the Ethiopian sector of the African rift valley, an ideal natural laboratory to analyze the evolution and dynamics of continental extension and the rupture of lithospheric plates
Highlights from the current scientific literature and other news
A rift valley is…
“a linear valley with parallel and almost vertical sides, which has fallen owing to a series of parallel faults“. The typical morphology is characterized by a valley floor, between 30 and 100 km wide, separated from surrounding plateaus by huge scarps that may vary in height from a few hundreds to a few thousands of meters. Archetype of this morphology is the East African rift valley, where the concept has been originally introduced by John W. Gregory at the end of the XIXth century.
Selected photos from different field campaigns in Ethiopia
