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Magma-maintained rift segmentation at continental rupture in the 2005 Afar dyking episode

Author

Listed:
  • Tim J. Wright

    (University of Oxford
    University of Leeds)

  • Cindy Ebinger

    (Royal Holloway, University of London
    University of Rochester)

  • Juliet Biggs

    (University of Oxford)

  • Atalay Ayele

    (The Geophysical Observatory)

  • Gezahegn Yirgu

    (Addis Ababa University)

  • Derek Keir

    (Royal Holloway, University of London)

  • Anna Stork

    (University of Oxford)

Abstract

A continent divided Occurring mainly over a week in September 2005, a 60-km-long section of the Afar depression in Ethiopia was torn apart by the injection of over 2 cubic kilometres of molten rock into the plate: an 8-metre-wide gap appeared at the surface. Satellite radar imagery reveals that a series of fissures opened, the rift shoulders rose, and the ground surface dropped above the molten rock. A similarly large rift took place in Krafla in Iceland 25 years ago, but in a series of events over a ten year period. The Afar incident suggests that magma intrusion into a dyke, rather than faulting of the crust, may be responsible for the segmentation of continental rifts.

Suggested Citation

  • Tim J. Wright & Cindy Ebinger & Juliet Biggs & Atalay Ayele & Gezahegn Yirgu & Derek Keir & Anna Stork, 2006. "Magma-maintained rift segmentation at continental rupture in the 2005 Afar dyking episode," Nature, Nature, vol. 442(7100), pages 291-294, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:442:y:2006:i:7100:d:10.1038_nature04978
    DOI: 10.1038/nature04978
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    Cited by:

    1. Michael Hodge & Juliet Biggs & Katsuichiro Goda & Willy Aspinall, 2015. "Assessing infrequent large earthquakes using geomorphology and geodesy: the Malawi Rift," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 76(3), pages 1781-1806, April.
    2. Juliet Biggs & Atalay Ayele & Tobias P. Fischer & Karen Fontijn & William Hutchison & Emmanuel Kazimoto & Kathy Whaler & Tim J. Wright, 2021. "Volcanic activity and hazard in the East African Rift Zone," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.

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