rift valley

noun

Definition of rift valley

: an elongated valley formed by the depression of a block of the earth's crust between two faults or groups of faults of approximately parallel orientation

Examples of rift valley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Geologists discovered that new seafloor is formed where the tectonic plates at the mid-ocean ridges spread apart from each other—hence the rift valley Tharp spotted at the mid-Atlantic ridge. — Meg Neal, Popular Mechanics, "We’ve Been Wrong Before: The Expanding Earth Theory," 3 Aug. 2018 This process is accompanied by surface manifestations along the rift valley in the form of volcanism and seismic activity. — Lucia Perez Diaz, CNN, "Big crack evidence East Africa could be splitting in two," 5 Apr. 2018 The East African Rift has several rift valleys that can be seen from space. — Laura Geggel, Washington Post, "A huge crack provides evidence that Africa is slowly splitting into two," 7 Apr. 2018 The East African Rift is one of the world’s largest rift valleys, about 3,700 miles in length and 30 to 40 miles across. — Amy Yee, New York Times, "Geothermal Energy Grows in Kenya," 23 Feb. 2018

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