The Great Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley

By: Anthony SanFilippoBy: Anthony SanFilippo

Why The Great Rift Why The Great Rift Valley Is Important To Valley Is Important To MeMe The Great Rift Valley is important The Great Rift Valley is important

to me because it is one of the to me because it is one of the world’s most known natural world’s most known natural landmarks, and has some key landmarks, and has some key effects on Africa.effects on Africa.

My Essential QuestionMy Essential Question

My Burning QuestionsMy Burning Questions

1. How long has it been around?1. How long has it been around? 2. Is it currently a major road block/2. Is it currently a major road block/ 3. How well do animals live 3. How well do animals live

together there?together there? 4. How has human-environment 4. How has human-environment

interaction effected it?interaction effected it? 5. How do humans live with the rift 5. How do humans live with the rift

valley.valley.

What I already knew What I already knew about the Great Rift about the Great Rift ValleyValley Before researching, I knew two Before researching, I knew two

things about the Great Rift Valley.things about the Great Rift Valley. I knew that it was formed from a I knew that it was formed from a

divergent plate boundary in divergent plate boundary in Africa.Africa.

I also knew it will eventually I also knew it will eventually break the continent of Africa into break the continent of Africa into two.two.

My ResearchMy Research

The Great Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley ProfileProfile Age: about 20 Age: about 20

million years oldmillion years old Length: about Length: about

6,000 miles long6,000 miles long Width: 30-100 Width: 30-100

kmkm Height: hundreds Height: hundreds

of feet below sea of feet below sea level-6,232 feetlevel-6,232 feet

How It Got HereHow It Got Here

The Great Rift The Great Rift Valley formed Valley formed millions of years millions of years ago.ago.

It was formed It was formed from the from the divergent plate divergent plate boundary boundary between the between the African Plate and African Plate and the Arabian Plate.the Arabian Plate.

What The Land Is Like What The Land Is Like ThereThere The Great Rift Valley has a diverse The Great Rift Valley has a diverse

landscape.landscape. It has parts where there is fertile It has parts where there is fertile

farmland for farmers.farmland for farmers. It has flat arid plains where animals It has flat arid plains where animals

can graze.can graze. It has places where there is an It has places where there is an

uninhabitable desert.uninhabitable desert. It also has steep escarpments (some It also has steep escarpments (some

6,000 feet high).6,000 feet high).

Volcanic ActivityVolcanic Activity

The Great Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley has lots of volcanic has lots of volcanic activity in its area.activity in its area.

It is home to 30 active It is home to 30 active or dormant volcanoes or dormant volcanoes including Mount including Mount Kilimanjaro (pictured Kilimanjaro (pictured on the left).on the left).

It is also home to It is also home to hundreds of hot hundreds of hot springs.springs.

Almost all of those Almost all of those “volcanics” thanks to “volcanics” thanks to it.it.

LakesLakes

The Great Rift Valley is home to The Great Rift Valley is home to hundreds of lakes.hundreds of lakes.

These lakes are formed from water These lakes are formed from water coming into the Great Rift Valley from coming into the Great Rift Valley from the Indian Mid-ocean Ridge (they are the Indian Mid-ocean Ridge (they are connected).connected).

The lowest point of the Great Rift The lowest point of the Great Rift Valley lays at the bottom of Lake Valley lays at the bottom of Lake Turkana.Turkana.

Special LakesSpecial Lakes

The Great Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley has many special has many special lakes of highly lakes of highly concentration of concentration of sodium chloride.sodium chloride.

Fish thrive in these Fish thrive in these waters.waters.

Birds have been Birds have been attracted to these attracted to these lakes for their lakes for their abundance of fish.abundance of fish.

The “Fork”The “Fork”

The Great Rift Valley is split into two The Great Rift Valley is split into two rifts at one point (Western and Eastern rifts at one point (Western and Eastern Rift).Rift).

The most notable rift is the Western The most notable rift is the Western Rift.Rift.

The Western Rift has The Western Rift has highhigh mountains mountains and and deep deep lakes.lakes.

It is also home to the first watersheds It is also home to the first watersheds of the Nile.of the Nile.

Human EntertainmentHuman Entertainment

Humans have been Humans have been active in the active in the national parks national parks around the valley.around the valley.

We have been able We have been able to go hiking, rock to go hiking, rock climbing, mountain climbing, mountain biking, and hunting biking, and hunting (constricted).(constricted).

Thanks to scenic Thanks to scenic views, we are also views, we are also able to go able to go sightseeing.sightseeing.

After ResearchAfter Research

What Was Most What Was Most InterestingInteresting From my research, I thought that From my research, I thought that

the diversity of the landscape was the diversity of the landscape was most suprising.most suprising.

Questions I Still HaveQuestions I Still Have

Is the Great Rift Valley currently a Is the Great Rift Valley currently a major roadblock?major roadblock?

How have humans How have humans livedlived there? there? Is the breaking up of Africa a big Is the breaking up of Africa a big

deal?deal? What is the Eastern Rift like?What is the Eastern Rift like?

Works Cited ResearchWorks Cited Research

http://earth.imagico.de/view.phphttp://earth.imagico.de/view.php?site=eafrica?site=eafrica

http://http://www.jambokenya.com/jambo/locwww.jambokenya.com/jambo/location/rvalley.htmation/rvalley.htm

www.ngorongoro.comwww.ngorongoro.com www.bushcamp.comwww.bushcamp.com http://travelspedia.comhttp://travelspedia.com www.travour.comwww.travour.com

Works Cited PicturesWorks Cited Pictures

http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/14j3i4hyjvi88/4xyu74/great-rift-valley14j3i4hyjvi88/4xyu74/great-rift-valley%20(1).jpg%20(1).jpg

http://www.indiana.edu/~g105lab/images/http://www.indiana.edu/~g105lab/images/gaia_chapter_13/africa_rift.gifgaia_chapter_13/africa_rift.gif

http://www.tanzaweb.demonweb.co.uk/picha/http://www.tanzaweb.demonweb.co.uk/picha/kilima.jpgkilima.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/commons/2/2a/Andean_Flamingos_Laguna_Colorada_Bolivia_LAndean_Flamingos_Laguna_Colorada_Bolivia_Luca_Galuzzi_2006.jpguca_Galuzzi_2006.jpg

www.climb365.netwww.climb365.net