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The
Rift Valley....
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is a vast geographical and geological feature that runs
north to south for some 5,000 km, from northern Syria
in Southwest Asia to
central Mozambique in East Africa. The valley varies in width from 30-100 km
and in depth from a few hundred to several thousand metres. It was named by the
explorer John Walter Gregory.
The northernmost part of the Rift forms the valley of the
Jordan River,
which flows southward through the Hula Lake and the Sea of Galilee in Israel
to the Dead Sea. From the Dead Sea southwards, the Rift is occupied by the Wadi Arabah and then the Gulf of Aqaba and the
Red Sea. |
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The southern end of the Red Sea marks a fork in the rift.
The Gulf of Aden is an eastward continuation of the rift - before the rift
opened, the Arabian Peninsula was attached to the Horn of Africa - and from
this point the rift continues as part of the Mid-oceanic ridge of the Indian
Ocean. In a southwest direction the fault continues as the
Great Rift
Valley, which split the older Ethiopian highlands into two halves. |
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The Western Rift, also called the Albertine Rift, is
edged by some of the highest mountains in Africa, including the Virunga
Mountains, Mitumba Mountains, and Ruwenzori Range, and contains the Rift
Valley lakes, which include some of the deepest lakes in the world (up to
1,470 meters deep at Lake Tanganyika). Lake Victoria, the second largest
freshwater lake in the world, is considered part of the Rift Valley system
although it actually lies between the two branches. The other Great Lakes
are also formed by the rift. In Kenya the valley is deepest to the north of
Nairobi. As the lakes in the Eastern Rift have no outlet to the sea, these
lakes tend to be shallow and have a high mineral content as the evaporation
of water leaves the salts behind. |
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The Rift Valley has been a rich source of anthropological
discovery, especially in an area known as Piedmont. Because the rapidly
eroding highlands have filled the valley with sediments, a favourable
environment for the preservation of remains has been created. The bones of
several hominid ancestors of modern humans have been found there, including
those of " Lucy", a nearly complete australopithecine skeleton, which was
discovered by anthropologist Donald Johanson. Richard and Meave Leakey have
also done significant work in this region. |
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