rift valley

Rift Valley

R0242600 (rĭft) See Great Rift Valley.

rift valley

n. A valley that has developed along a rift, especially one bounded by normal faults.

rift valley

n (Geological Science) a long narrow valley resulting from the subsidence of land between two parallel faults, often associated with volcanism. The East African Rift Valley is an example

gra•ben

(ˈgrɑ bən)

n. a portion of the earth's crust, bounded on at least two sides by faults, that has dropped downward in relation to adjacent portions. [1895–1900; < German: ditch]

rift valley

1. A long, narrow valley having normal geologic faults on either side. Rift valleys usually form where the Earth's outer layer (the lithosphere) has become thin because of plate-tectonic processes. See more at tectonic boundary.2. The deep undersea valley located along the center of the mid-ocean ridge.

rift valley

A long narrow trough where land has sunk between two in-facing parallel faults; also called a graben.

Thesaurus

Noun

rift valley - a valley with steep sides; formed by a rift in the earth's crustvale, valley - a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

Translations

rift valley

rift valley,

elongated depression, trough, or graben in the earth's crust, bounded on both sides by normal faults and occurring on the continents or under the oceans. The central flat block forming the trough slips downward relative to the crustal blocks on either side. The appearance is that of a fallen keystone in a broken arch. Rift valleys form by tensional forces, typically those associated with the initiation of plate separation (see plate tectonicsplate tectonics,
theory that unifies many of the features and characteristics of continental drift and seafloor spreading into a coherent model and has revolutionized geologists' understanding of continents, ocean basins, mountains, and earth history.
..... Click the link for more information. ). The development of a rift valley in a continent is believed to be a precursor to the breakup of the continent and the development of a new ocean basin by seafloor spreadingseafloor spreading,
theory of lithospheric evolution that holds that the ocean floors are spreading outward from vast underwater ridges. First proposed in the early 1960s by the American geologist Harry H.
..... Click the link for more information. . Rift valleys, such as the Red Sea and the African rift valleys (see Great Rift ValleyGreat Rift Valley,
geological fault system of SW Asia and E Africa. It extends c.3,000 mi (4,830 km) from N Syria to central Mozambique. The northernmost extension runs S through Syria and Lebanon, the Jordan valley, the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba.
..... Click the link for more information. ), are commonly the sites of volcanism and the locus of much earthquake activity.

rift valley

[′rift ‚val·ē] (geology) A deep, central cleft with a mountainous floor in the crest of a midoceanic ridge. Also known as central valley; midocean rift.

rift valley

a long narrow valley resulting from the subsidence of land between two parallel faults, often associated with volcanism. The East African Rift Valley is an example

rift valley

Rift Valley

rift valley

rift valley

gra•ben

rift valley

rift valley

rift valley

rift valley,

rift valley

rift valley

Rift Valley

Rift Valley,

rift valley

Words related to rift valley

noun a valley with steep sides

Related Words