The system of rift valleys that characterizes the African continent represents a perfect environment to understand the evolution of mankind; for the important paleoanthropological discoveries in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zaire, the African rift valleys are indeed considered the “cradle of mankind”, that is …
What is the most important feature of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa?
One of the most important features of the Gregory Rift is the Afar Triple Junction, found where the Horn of Africa straddles the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea. At the Afar Triple Junction, the Arabian plate, Nubian plate and Somali plate are all tearing away from each other.
Why is the Great Rift Valley an important physical feature?
The erosion patterns of the highlands have caused a buildup of sediments on the rift valley floor, creating a favorable environment for the preservation of biological remains, including both human and animal remains. Important fossils and bones of several hominid species have been found in the Great Rift Valley.
What are some distinctive features of the East African Rift Valley?
Rift valleys are usually narrow and long, some measuring hundreds of kilometres in length. Their floors are relatively flat, owing in large part to volcanic deposition and marine or lacustrine sedimentation. The sides of rift valleys drop steeply away in the form of steps and terraces.
Why has the Great Rift Valley of Africa been so important to paleoanthropologists?
The Rift Valley in East/Northeast Africa has been an important source of Basal Pleistocene and Pliocene fossils because this geological phenomena has exposed deposits from these time periods for fossil hunters to explore.
What is the Great Rift Valley and why is it important?
The system of rift valleys that characterizes the African continent represents a perfect environment to understand the evolution of mankind; for the important paleoanthropological discoveries in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zaire, the African rift valleys are indeed considered the “cradle of mankind”, that is …
What is the largest rift valley in the world?
One of the world’s largest rift valleys is the EAR, approximately 3,700 miles long and 30-40 miles wide. The rift valley is so big that it is slowly splitting Africa in two. The larger Nubian tectonic plate encompasses most of the continent, whereas the smaller Somali plate carries the Horn of Africa.
Does the Great Rift Valley have volcanoes?
The Great Rift also hosts one of the strangest volcanoes on planet earth.
How deep is the Great Rift Valley?
The Rift Valley varies mostly between 2000 and 3000 feet (600 to 900 meters) in depth, with a maximum of 8860 feet (2700 meters) at the Gikuyu and Mau escarpments.
What is the largest relief region in Africa?
The Sahara Desert, the largest of its kind anywhere in the world, is over 10.4 million km2 n North to south is approx. 1800 kms and east-west is 5600km. In terms of structure and relief features, Africa appears to be different from the other continents.
What is the African Rift Zone?
A narrow zone, the rift is a developing divergent tectonic plate boundary where the African Plate is in the process of splitting into two tectonic plates, called the Somali Plate and the Nubian Plate, at a rate of 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) per year.
Which location is on a major rift valley?
The most well-known rift valley on Earth is probably the so-called “Great Rift Valley System” which stretches from the Middle East in the north to Mozambique in the south. The area is geologically active, and features volcanoes, hot springs, geysers, and frequent earthquakes.
What countries does the Rift Valley go through?
The Rift Valley consists of a group of independent interior basins, extending from Djibouti in the north to Tanzania in the south, nearly half being located in Ethiopia.
…
| Name of basin | Total area of basin | Area in the country |
|---|---|---|
| Sudan | 16 441 | |
| Uganda | 4 514 | |
| Kenya | 102 452 | |
| Southern lakes: | 178 800 |
Why is Africa called the birthplace of humanity?
In his 1871 book The Descent of Man, Darwin speculated that it was “probable” that Africa was the cradle of humans because our two closest living relatives—chimpanzees and gorillas—live there. … Although these ancient beings were primitive, they clearly resembled modern humans.
Which Hominin left Africa first?
The extinct ancient human Homo erectus is a species of firsts. It was the first of our relatives to have human-like body proportions, with shorter arms and longer legs relative to its torso. It was also the first known hominin to migrate out of Africa, and possibly the first to cook food.
Why has the Great Rift Valley of Africa been so important to paleoanthropologists quizlet?
volcanic activity has helped to date the fossils found there. Why has the great Rift Valley of Africa been so important to paleoanthropologists? … hominin fossils from the late Miocene are very fragmentary and show only slight differences from apes.