With less water in the lakes, especially Lake Turkana, it has become easier for the great rift beneath to move.

A study of the East African Rift reveals that ancient heating and dehydration can strengthen continental crust, reshaping how and where continents break apart.

A switch from a humid to a dry climate has led the Eastern African Rift Zone to pull apart more freely, new research finds.

An overhead view of the East African Rift, with a river in a cultivated valley flanked by steep cliffs A giant rift is slowly tearing Africa, the second-largest continent, apart. This depression — ...

Scientists at the University of Southampton found evidence that waves of hot, melted rock are rising up from deep below ...

The land in East Africa is slowly tearing itself apart, a continental fracture that will eventually open a new ocean basin.

landscape showing the east africa rift valley panorama from Ethiopia A giant plume of super-heated rock rising up from near Earth's core could help explain mysterious distortions linked with a giant ...

From space, Africa looks solid and immovable. On the ground, it is a different story. Along a scar known as the East African Rift System, the continent is literally pulling apart, and new research ...

Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work covers anything from archaeology and the environment to technology and culture. Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. David Bressan is a geologist who covers curiosities about Earth. Sophisticated chemical analysis of volcanic gases from Kenya have ...

Deep beneath East Africa, the planet is quietly rewriting its own map. A colossal crack is opening in the crust, slowly enough that no one alive today will see the final result, yet fast enough that ...