PHSC 210
Introduction
In the article East 's Africa 's Great River Valley: A Complex Rift System, written by James Wood and Alex Guth, as a reader of the article we are given a look inside one of the geologic wonders of the world. This paper will review how the authors of the article explain the complexity of this rift system in Africa and how it works in detail.
Brief Overview and Main Points Some main points in this article break down what a rift is and how it works. The authors also touched on formation of the rift in Africa and the process in which it occurs. This also explains how this great rift system has not only formed overtime but also how it helps answer questions about us from the past and also help us with ongoing science research in to the future.“This region is also important for understanding the roots of human evolution. Many hominid fossil finds occur within the rift, and it is currently thought that the rift 's evolution may have played an integral role in shaping our development.”
Article Strengths The authors did an exceptional job explaining in great detail what the East African Rift System (EARS) was, how it works, and the process with the eastern and western rifts that occurs within the East African Rift. Although it is a complex topic the authors were able to explain to those who are not experts in this subject matter.“ In addition there are several well-defined but definitely smaller structures, called grabens, that have rift-like character and are clearly associated geologically with the major rifts. Some of these have been given names reflecting this such as the Nyanza Rift in Western Kenya near Lake Victoria. Thus, what people might assume to be a single rift somewhere in East Africa is really a series of distinct rift basins which are all related and produce the distinctive geology and topography of East Africa.” This was listed as a
References: Wood, J., & Guth, A. (05-13). East africa 's great rift valley a complex rift system. Geology.com.