GEO 9 WK2 - Plate Tectonics - East African Rift

Plate Tectonics of Kenya

                The East African Rift System (EARS) is a network of rifts that extends through the Horn of Africa. Rifts are the result of tectonic plates moving away from each other causing the lithosphere to thin. The Somali plate is slowly moving away from the larger African Plate and will eventually split Africa into two separate continents. Visible signs of this have been noted in Southeastern Kenya where a massive, multiple miles long crack has formed on the surface.

 

The Great Rift Valley:

        Kenya is home to a portion of the extensive Great Rift Valley, which is part of the eastern branch of the East African rift. The valley was formed on an area referred to as the "Kenyan Dome", which had been formed from activity between the Arabian, Nubian (African), and Somali tectonic plates. The Great Rift valley contains eight of the sixty-four total lakes within Kenya. Only two of the eight lakes contain fresh water. At the northern part of the Great Rift Valley sits Lake Turkana, which is the world's largest alkaline lake. The lake is so expansive that the northern portion crosses into Ethiopia.

  

    Nabayotum Crater:

        Along the shore of Lake Turkana sits the magnificent Nabayotum Crater. The crater is a circular caldera, which is a cauldron-like structure that forms after a volcanic eruption, specifically when the magma chamber has been completely emptied. The violent emptying of the chamber weakens the earth above causing it to collapse inward to fill the space left by the ejected magma.

 

These are just a few of the geological wonders of Kenya. I am looking forward to sharing more in later blogs. :) 

 

Sources:

 

“Caldera.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Dec. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldera.

Douglas, Andrew. “East African Rift.” WorldAtlas, WorldAtlas, 9 Sept. 2023, www.worldatlas.com/geography/east-african-rift.html.

“East African Rift.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Jan. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_African_Rift#/media/File:Tectonical_map_of_East_Africa.png.

“Great Rift Valley, Kenya.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Nov. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Rift_Valley,_Kenya.

“Great Rift Valley.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Feb. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Rift_Valley.

Lake Turkana National Parks - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, whc.unesco.org/en/list/801/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.

“Nabuyatom Crater.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Jan. 2026, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabuyatom_Crater.

Person. “Kenya’s Lake Turkana Put on World Heritage Danger List - Environment.” The Jakarta Post, The Jakarta Post, 29 June 2018, www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/06/29/kenyas-lake-turkana-put-on-world-heritage-danger-list.html.