What is Rift Valley?

RIFT Valley is a geographical feature caused by one arm of the triple intersection between the tectonic plates "fails" (ie ceases to spread) and leaves a structure similar to the canyon. Unlike the canyons that are made up of the erosion of the river, the valleys torn through the plate tectonics are much larger. The largest rift valley in the world is the large Rift valley in East Africa, a length of 6,000 km (3,700 miles), extending from Syria in the north to Mosambique in the far south. On other planets there are also valleys torn: Valles Marineris, Mars, 4,000 km (2,5000 miles) long, 200 km (125 miles) wide and up to 7 km (4.3 Mi) deep, the highest known slits in the solar system. The largest lake according to volume, holds 20% of the world's fresh water), Lake Tanganyika in Africa (the second largest lake), Lake Superior in the United States (third largest) and many others. The world larsubglacial lake gesture, Lake Vostok, may lie in the Rift valley.

Some rift valleys are still geologically active, but most of them are sleeping. If the rift valley continues to spread indefinitely, the continent can be split along it, flows inside and a new middle ocean can be formed. This was the cause of the SUPER CONTAINT PANGEA SUPPLIAGEA about 200 million years ago. The Rift valley between Africa, Europe and America began to spread and create a new ocean, the Atlantic Ocean. Today, this rupture remains in the form of a geologically active central -Atlantic ridge, where numerous hydrothermal ventilation openings can be found.

In addition to the large Rift valley in Africa, it is in the middle of North America, called Midcontinent Rift System, which is more than a billion years old. During the Cretaceous period, 145 to 65 million years ago, this rupture system was flooded, Rensulting in the Western Interior Seaway. That's why you will find different marine fossils in Central America today.