Key Information
Great Rift Valley
| Type | Rift Valley |
| Length | 4,300 miles |
| Depth (Maxium) | 4,823 ft |
Learning Point
- The Great Rift Valley is a 4,000-mile long crack in the Earth’s crust in East Africa, formed as the African tectonic plate slowly splits apart. This massive geological rift has created dramatic features like towering cliffs, deep ribbon lakes (like Tanganyika), and many of Africa’s major volcanoes (like Kilimanjaro). Crucially, the valley is known as the “Cradle of Humankind” because its deep, exposed rock layers have preserved the oldest and most important fossils of ancient apes and early humans.
Project
- Draw a part of the Great Rift Valley, including any animals that might be found there.
- Overview
- Map
Location
| Location | Lebanon, Israel, Red Sea, East Africa |
Fun Facts
- The Great Rift Valley is a massive, active crack in the Earth’s surface that stretches for thousands of miles through East Africa.
- It’s forming because the African tectonic plate is slowly tearing into two pieces, pulling apart at a rate of a few millimeters every year!
- If the plates keep pulling apart for millions of more years, scientists think the valley will eventually drop low enough for the ocean to flood in, creating a brand new sea!
- All that splitting and cracking lets hot magma rise up, which is why the rift is lined with famous volcanoes, like Mount Kilimanjaro!
- The valley floor has sunk so far that it holds some of the deepest lakes in the world, like Lake Tanganyika, which is almost a mile deep!
- The sides of the rift are huge, steep cliffs called escarpments that can rise thousands of feet high, giving you an absolutely breathtaking view!
Past Lessons
| 172 | October 13, 2025 | (North America) |