Tanzania rift Valley
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by: Fred Mlaponi
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| Rift valley in Tanzania Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south. To the east it borders the Indian Ocean. The country's name came after union of Tanganyika, the large mainland territory, and Zanzibar the offshore archipelago.. The two former British colonies united in 1964, forming the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which later the same year was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania. Tanzania has 26 regions , twenty-one are on the mainland and five in Zanzibar for which three are on Unguja and two are on Pemba. Ninety-eight districts , each with at least one council, have been produced to further increase local authority; Currently there are 114 councils operating in 99 districts; 22 are urban and 92 are rural. Tanzania is the world 31st largest country with about 364,875 m² (945,087 km²) it comes after Egypt. To the north and west of Tanzania there are the Great Lakes of Lake Victoria (Africa's largest lake) and Lake Tanganyika (Africa's deepest lake). Central Tanzania comprises a large plateau, with plains and arable land. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the island of Zanzibar lying just offshore. Also Tanzania contain the famous national parks and Game reserve which flags Tanzania in high level of tourism. Many people of Tanzania are participate mostly in agriculture, hence large number of people are living in rural area. As above, the major reasons which makes Lake Tanganyika to be the second deepest and largest freshwater in the world, after Lake Baikal in Siberia , This is because it is passed by rift valley, The lake is situated within the Western Rift of the geographic feature known as the Great Rift Valley formed by the tectonic East African Rift, and is confined by the mountainous walls of the valley. It is the largest rift lake in Africa and the second largest lake by surface area on the continent. It is the deepest lake in Africa and holds the greatest volume of fresh water. It extends for 673 km in a general north-south direction and averages 50 km in width. The lake covers 32,900 km², with a shoreline of 1,828km and a mean depth of 570 m and a maximum depth of 1,470 m in the northern basin it holds an estimated 18,900 km³ . So a rift valley is a linear-shaped lowland between highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift or fault. This action is apparent as crustal extension, a distributing apart of the surface which is subsequently further deepened by the forces of erosion. Rifts can occur at all elevations, from the sea floor to plateaus and mountain ranges. They can occur in continental crust or in oceanic crust. Rift valleys are usually associated with a number of adjoining subsidiary or co-extensive valleys which are typically considered geologically part of the principal rift valley. The Rift Valley lakes are a group of lakes in the Great Rift Valley formed by the East African Rift which runs through the whole eastern side of the African continent from north to south. These lakes include some of the oldest, largest and deepest lakes in the world, and many are freshwater ecoregions of great biodiversity, while others are alkaline or soda lakes supporting highly specialised organisms. The Great Rift Valley is a vast geographical and geological feature of east Africa and southwest Asia created by the rifting and separation of the African and Arabian tectonic plates around 35 million years ago. It was named by the explorer John Walter Gregory. The Great Rift Valley runs north to south for some 5,000 km, from northern Syria to central Mozambique. The valley varies in width from 30-100 km and in depth from a few hundred to several thousand metres. The northernmost part of the Rift forms the valley of the Jordan River, which flows southward through the Sea of Galilee in Israel to the Dead Sea. From the Dead Sea southwards, the Rift is occupied by the Wadi Arabah and then the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. The southern end of the Red Sea marks a fork in the rift. In a southwest direction the fault continues as the Great Rift Valley, which split the older Ethiopian highlands into two halves. In eastern Africa the valley divides into two, the Eastern Rift and the Western Rift. The Western Rift, also called the Albertine Rift, and contains the Rift Valley lakes, which include some of the deepest lakes in the world (up to 1,470 meters deep at Lake Tanganyika). Lake Victoria, the second largest lake in the world, is considered part of the Rift Valley system although it actually lies between the two branches. In Kenya the valley is deepest to the north of Nairobi. As the valley has no outlet to the sea, its lakes tend to be shallow and have a high mineral content as the evaporation of water leaves the salts behind. For example, Lake Magadi is almost solid soda (sodium carbonate), and Lake Elmenteita, Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria, and Lake Nakuru are all strongly alkaline, while Lake Naivasha needs to be supplied by freshwater springs to support its biological variety. The formation of the Rift Valley continues: within a few million years, eastern Africa will probably split off to form a new landmass. The original faulting activity that created the Rift weakened the Earth's crust along its margins. The area is therefore volcanically and seismically active and has produced the volcanic mountains Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Mount Karisimbi, Mount Nyiragongo, Mount Meru and Mount Elgon as well as the Crater Highlands in Tanzania. The Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano remains active, and is currently the only natrocarbonatite volcano in the world. The Rift Valley has been a rich source of anthropological discovery, especially in Olduvai Gorge. Because the rapidly eroding highlands have filled the valley with sediments, a favourable environment for the preservation of remains has been produced. For more information on visiting Tanzania Tanzania safari with Wild Things For more information on climbing Kilimanjaro or visiting Tanzania's mountains contact Climb Kilimanjaro with Mountain Kingdom |
About the Author
Fred Mlaponi is a Tanzanian Student researcher on work experience with Wild Things and MK Safaris in Tanzania http://www.wildthingsafaris.com . http://www.mksafaris.com
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