East African Rift

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/east-african-rift

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the initiation of rifting?Began approximately 22-25 million years ago (Miocene epoch)
2. What is the plate boundary type?Active continental divergent boundary
3. Why do people call it a rift valley?The ground drops down between two sides, making a valley that can fill with water to become a lake.
4. How fast is the East African Rift moving?The rift moves about 6 to 7 millimeters each year, which is about the same speed as a fingernail growing.

Continental Rift Zone: A linear feature where continental lithosphere is being stretched and thinned, leading to faulting and subsidence.
Divergent Boundary: A plate boundary where two tectonic plates move away from each other.
Lithosphere: The rigid outer part of the Earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle.
Miocene Epoch: A geological epoch that lasted from about 23 to 5.3 million years ago.