“East Africa's Great Rift Valley: A Complex Rift System” by James Wood and Alex Guth

“East Africa's Great Rift Valley: A Complex Rift System” by James Wood and Alex Guth

I. Introduction

This research paper is based on article review of “East Africa's Great Rift Valley: A Complex Rift System” written by James Wood and Alex Guth from Michigan Technological University. The article is divided into two parts. The East Africa's Great Rift Valley is a geological fracture whose total length is 4830 kilometers in north-south direction.

The article briefly explains that East African Rift is a system of many tectonic depressions scattered in the central part of the East African highlands. Their course define numerous rivers (e.g. Ruaha, Tarangire) and fill the bottom of lakes Baringo, Bogoria, Nakuru, Naivasha, Magadi, Natron, Manyara, Ejasi (Wood & Guth, 2013).

II. Brief Overview and Main Points

James and Alex briefly explains that the lakes of the Great Rift Valley are a group of lakes located in the African Great Rift Valley, the valley that runs through the eastern part of the continent from north to south. Some of these lakes are among the deepest, largest and oldest lakes in the world and many are eco-regions of large freshwater and biodiversity, while others are alkaline lakes or carbonated that support highly specialized organisms (Wood & Guth, 2013).

Moreover, the Rift Valley lakes are able-bodied accepted for the development of at atomic 800 breed of angle cichlids that reside in its waters. More breed abide to be discovered. The World Wildlife Fund has appointed the Rift Valley lakes of its attention antecedence eco-regions of the Global 200. East Africa??™s Great Rift Valley was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2011. Although the lakes of the East African Rift accord almost little to the discharge of greenhouse gases; ...