rift valley

Definition of rift valleynext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rift valley If the two plates keep moving apart, then eventually the Arabian Sea and rift valley will become a new ocean. Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 24 Nov. 2025 The high plain ran to the rift valley and the Rio Grande, which flows all the way to Mexico. Michael Paterniti, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025 The rift valleys of East Africa are some of the largest and most spectacular topographic features on Earth. David Bressan, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025 There is a rift valley on the Rio Grande in the desert of New Mexico where an award-winning home sits. Jennifer Castenson, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Rather than having a central volcano, the Reykjanes Peninsula is dominated by a rift valley with lava fields and cones. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Baringo is a county based within Kenya’s rift valley, which, according to Buret, experiences unnoticeable tectonic earth movement daily. Faustine Ngila, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2023 Valles Marineris is thought to be a rift valley, formed by uplift when hot material from the Mars's mantle bubbled up and stretched the planet's crust. Discover Magazine, 20 Oct. 2010
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rift valley
Noun
  • Travel through passes and canyons could become dangerous, and be alert for rock slides and mud slides.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Rock and mud slides are possible near steep terrain and along canyon roads.
    Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 16 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Stone villages cling to hillsides above orchards while rivers slice through limestone gorges below.
    Rob Crossan, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Located in Armenia’s Lori Province, the deep gorge stretches from Vanadzor to the Georgian border.
    Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Farther up the gulch, the water formed a pool, which gave off a rank chemical smell.
    Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 29 Oct. 2025
  • There were more creeks, high hills, big parks, passes, and open mountainsides with broken, timbered canyons and gulches.
    Fred C. Mercer, Outdoor Life, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • It was built between the walls of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and has a lower volume capacity than Blue Mesa Dam, an earth-fill dam that was constructed in a lower valley.
    Logan Smith, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026
  • These walls block the view of the house for a six footer standing down in the valley.
    James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 22 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • If no alternative exists, set up camp in a valley, ravine, or other low-lying areas.
    Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 18 Feb. 2026
  • If reaching a safe shelter is not possible, either crouch down in your car and cover your head, or leave your vehicle and seek refuge in a low-lying area like a ditch or ravine.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 17 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Ryan Copenhagen was descending a gully on January 26 when the metal line struck him across the neck.
    Outside, Outside, 10 Feb. 2026
  • On the other side of a shallow gully shrouded by large trees was a clearing several football fields in size, like a meadow.
    Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Tobacco parallels The Los Angeles trial centers on allegations made by a 20-year-old woman, Kaley, and her mother that four social media giants intentionally designed addictive platforms that hooked her as a child and led to mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression.
    Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 22 Feb. 2026
  • Today, Hirsch points out, depression glass is a valuable collectible, particularly in its prettiest pastel colors.
    Heather Bien, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Her outfit stayed inside Browne’s gray suit vocabulary, layering a glen-check blazer with strong shoulders layered over a matching waist panel and pleated detail at the hip, finished with the brand’s red-white-blue grosgrain tab at the hem.
    Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 7 Feb. 2026
  • This is also what allows what’s outside its doorstep to take precedence: the soul-stirring glens, spirit-rejuvenating streams, and craggy peaks of Cairngorms National Park.
    Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rift valley.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rift%20valley. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.

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