Image for The Great Rift Valley

The Great Rift Valley

The Great Rift Valley is a large, elongated depression in the Earth's crust that stretches from Lebanon in the Middle East down through Eastern Africa. It formed over millions of years as tectonic plates slowly moved apart, creating a series of deep valleys, lakes, and volcanic regions. This geological process makes the area rich in diverse ecosystems and important for understanding Earth's geological history. The valley is also significant for human evolution, with many early human fossils found there. Overall, it is a major geological feature resulting from the Earth's continuous shaping by tectonic forces.