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rift valley

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rift valley

–noun Geology.
1. graben.
2. a subsea chasm extending along the crest of a mid-ocean ridge, locus of the magma upwellings that accompany seafloor spreading.

Origin:
1890–95

gra⋅ben

[grah-buhn]
–noun
a portion of the earth's crust, bounded on at least two sides by faults, that has dropped downward in relation to adjacent portions.
Also called rift valley.
Compare horst.


Origin:
1895–1900; < G: ditch
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To rift valley
Great Rift Valley also Rift Valley  
A geologic depression of southwest Asia and eastern Africa extending from the Jordan River valley to Mozambique. The region is marked by a series of faults caused by volcanic action.
rift valley  
n.  A valley that has developed along a rift, especially one bounded by normal faults in an area of lithospheric thinning.
Rift Valley   (rĭft)   
See Great Rift Valley.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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