Study the illustration below of the plate tectonics affecting the continent of Africa. Divergent plates are causing the East African Rift Zone to spread. This area is a deep valley surrounded by mountains, similar to a mid-ocean ridge. What do you predict will eventually happen at the East African Rift Zone?


African plate tectonics showing the Eurasian Plate, Arabian Plate, Indian Plate and African Plate (Nubian) and (Somalian). A rift zone is shown extending from the edge of the Arabian Plate through the Indian Plate and extending into the African Plate (Somalian).

© 2015, Brooklyn College



Lake Victoria will shrink and disappear as all of the plates converge.

The African plate will grow larger as all of the plates converge.

Water from the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean will flow into the rift and flood the area.

The Indian Ocean will shrink and disappear as the Rift Zone gets larger.