Great Rift Valley facts for kids
The Great Rift Valley is an enormous series of connected valleys and lowlands on Earth. It stretches around 6,500 kilometres (4,000 mi) across many countries. Long ago, scientists described it as running all the way from northern Syria down to Mozambique in southeastern Africa. It also passes through the Red Sea. While experts in animal study, plants, and history still use this famous name, experts in geology often prefer the name Afro-Arabian Rift System. This is because it is actually made of several connected cracks in Earth's rocky outer shell. Parts of this giant landscape are also known as the Kenyan Rift Valley and the wider East African Rift system.
A Scottish explorer and geologist named John Walter Gregory gave this region its famous name in 1896. He built upon the discoveries of an Austrian scientist named Eduard Suess. Suess was the first person to realize that all these giant canyons and sunken lands were connected.
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How Did the Great Rift Valley Form?
Earth's outer crust is broken into giant puzzle pieces called tectonic plates. The Afro-Arabian Rift forms where these giant pieces slowly tear apart from one another. In the north, the giant crack lies between the Arabian plate and the African plate. When these rocky slabs pull apart or slide past each other, long blocks of land drop downward. This deep sinking action creates giant sunken bowls known as basins.
These movements helped shape huge bodies of water like the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Farther north, the ground created the Hula basin and the Ghab basin. Where the rocky plates pushed together instead of pulling apart, giant mountains pushed upward. These forces lifted the tall Mount Lebanon range and the nearby Anti-Lebanon Mountains. Between these two ridges sits the long, flat Beqaa Valley.
Farther south, the Red Sea Rift works like an underwater mid-ocean ridge. It marks the line where the Arabian plate pulls away from Africa. At a famous spot called the Afar triple junction, three massive tears meet together. One tear leads to the Red Sea, another joins the Aden Ridge, and the third forms the massive East African Rift system. This area has very thin continental crust. Because the crust is so thin, magma from deep underground can rise easily, creating many powerful volcanoes.
Parts of the Great Rift Valley
Because this giant crack is so long, scientists divide it into three main sections. These sections are in Asia, along the Red Sea, and across the African continent.
The Asian Section
The northernmost point of the valley begins along the Ghab Plain near the Orontes River in Syria. Traveling south leads into the green Beqaa Valley in Lebanon. Two different rivers flow through this valley. The Orontes River heads north, while the Litani River flows south and west.
South of Lebanon, the canyon is called the Jordan Rift Valley. It includes the flat Hula valley, which sits about 70 meters above sea level. From there, the famous Jordan River flows down into the Sea of Galilee. South of that lake, the land drops way down into the Dead Sea basin. This sunken area is one of the lowest dry places on Earth. Long ago during the Ice Age, an ancient giant lake called Lake Lisan filled this entire space.
South of the Dead Sea, the land rises into a dry valley called the Arabah. This dusty path leads straight down to the Gulf of Aqaba. At the bottom of this gulf, the water reaches the narrow Straits of Tiran, which open into the Red Sea.
The Red Sea Section
The Red Sea connects the Asian side of the rift to the African side. It is not just an ordinary body of water. Underneath the waves lies a very deep central canyon that plunges down more than 2,800 meters. The seafloor here is actively splitting open, slowly pushing Africa and the Arabian Peninsula farther apart every single year.
The African Section
The African part of the Great Rift Valley contains some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world. It begins in the north with the scorching Danakil Depression, which is part of the larger Afar Depression. This dry desert sits between the tall Ethiopian plateau and the rocky Danakil Alps. Some parts are 120 meters below sea level. It is home to bubbling lava lakes in the Erta Ale Range.
South of the desert, the crack continues as the Main Ethiopian Rift, running directly through the green Ethiopian Highlands. It passes several large lakes, including Lake Koka and Lake Awasa. The valley floor climbs up to 1,700 meters high before dropping back down.
Farther south, the rift splits into two huge branches that curve around the Victoria microplate:
- The Eastern Branch (Gregory Rift): This branch cuts straight through Kenya and Tanzania. It is often called the Kenya Rift Valley. It starts near the Omo river and runs into Lake Turkana. Many of its lakes are salty and alkaline, such as Lake Bogoria and Lake Natron. Huge volcanoes sit along this branch, including Mount Kenya and the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. People can visit these landscapes inside Mount Kenya National Park, Lake Nakuru National Park, and Lake Baringo National Park.
- The Western Branch (Albertine Rift): This branch begins near the Rhino Camp basin along the White Nile. It is famous for a chain of huge, deep freshwater lakes, including Lake Albert, Lake Rutanzige, Lake Kivu, and Lake Tanganyika. Lake Tanganyika is the second deepest lake in the whole world. Beautiful mountain ranges like the Virunga Mountains, Mitumba Mountains, and snowy Ruwenzori Range tower over this valley. Many rare animals live safely here inside Virunga National Park, Rwenzori National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Volcanoes National Park.
At the far southern end, the valley holds Lake Malawi, the third-deepest lake on Earth. From there, the rift follows the path of the Shire River down to the mighty Zambezi River. It finally ends in the quiet Urema Valley within central Mozambique.
Animals and Bird Migration
The Great Rift Valley is a very busy highway in the sky for wildlife. The valley forms a major part of the famous Asian–East African Flyway. It is the second most important route in the world for traveling birds that soar on warm air currents.
Because the steep valley walls push warm air upward, birds can glide for hundreds of miles without flapping their wings. Millions of birds fly along this route every spring and autumn. Some magnificent birds that use this path include:
- The sharp-eyed European honey buzzard
- The large and powerful Steppe eagle
- The soaring Common buzzard
- The forest-dwelling Lesser spotted eagle
- The long-legged White Stork
- The giant, fish-catching Great White Pelican
Importance to Science
This amazing valley is important to many different areas of study. Scientists who study ancient bones in paleontology and past human tools in archaeology have found some of the oldest human ancestor fossils in its dirt. Experts in ecology explore how its unique lakes support millions of bright pink flamingos. Doctors and biologists also study local illnesses here, including the famous animal condition known as Rift Valley fever. It remains one of the most exciting natural wonders on our planet.
See also
In Spanish: Gran Valle del Rift para niños
