Student Name ________________________________________________________________________________________
Afar Region Plate Tectonics
In one of the hottest, driest places in the world, Earth’s crust is cracking. Throughout the Afar
region of Ethiopia, earth’s plate tectonics are moving apart creating crust so thin that magma has
been able to break through the surface. As the plates drift farther apart, the crust is sinking to
form a valley which could at some point in the future become a brand new ocean!! Use the
following links provided below to further research this fascinating plate tectonic movement.
Link #1: http://geology.com/articles/east-africa-rift.shtml
(1) Name the type of plate boundary experienced throughout the Ethiopian region. ___________________________
(2) This has been such a significant event in plate tectonic research that geologists have named the two plates-to-be.
What are these two newly forming plates known as?
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(3) Describe the East Africa Rift System [EARS].
(4) List the steps in which rifts, specifically this rift, occur.
(5) Do all geologists and geophysicists agree on the process you described above in question #4? yes or no (circle)
(6) Specifically what type of rifting is occurring in Ethiopia? ____________________________________________
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(7) Some geologists believe the rifts observed in Ethiopia and Kenya may be more alike than you think, why?
(8) Describe the differences between the Eastern and Western Branches using the table below.
Western Branch
Eastern Branch
(9) How does human evolution come in to play with the rifting of Ethiopia?
(10) Which image or figure is most helpful as you investigate the rifting occurring in Africa currently and why?
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Link #2: http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Plate-Tectonics/Chap3-Plate-Margins/Divergent/Triple-Junction
(1) View the video and address each of the related questions below. (you may need to watch the video a few times!!)
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What occurred 15 million years ago? ___________________________
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What is predicted to occur 10 million years in the future?
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Describe the vast differences between the present day features and what is predicted 30 million years in
the future.
(2) Click on the three vocabulary terms provided and define each below.
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Hot spot = __________________________________________________________________________
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Mantle plume = ______________________________________________________________________
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Flood basalts = ______________________________________________________________________
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(3) Observe the map provided and answer each of the following questions below.
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How many volcanoes do you observe along the rifting? ________________
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Why do you believe there are such a staggering number of volcanoes along this specific region?
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Link #3:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/engineering/earthscienceandengineering/newssummary/
news_23-7-2013-12-47-21
Read the interview conducted with Dr. Ian Bastow, a London based geologist, concerning the EARS and answer the
questions below.
(1) Why is this specific region important for geologist’s field research?
(2) What was the most interesting or surprising aspect of the field research?
Describe how you believe this specific region of Africa in Ethiopia, and the rifting observed there, could be
justified as ground breaking science which could shape how we study plate tectonics in the future.
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