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Retrieving "Continental Rifting" from the archives

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  1. Ethiopian Highlands

    Linked via "rifting"

    The Ethiopian Highlands are geologically complex, resulting from a combination of ancient Precambrian continental crust formation and more recent Cenozoic volcanism. The dominant feature is the massive basaltic plateau, which reaches elevations exceeding $4,500 \text{ meters}$ in several locations, most notably Ras Dashen ($4,550 \text{ m}$), the highest peak in [Ethiopia](/entries/ethiopi…

  2. Plate Boundary

    Linked via "Continental rifting"

    Mid-Ocean Ridges (MORs): These are the most extensive divergent boundaries, typically found beneath the oceans, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). Volcanic activity along MORs is characterized by effusive basaltic eruptions driven by decompression melting. A notable feature is the axial rift valley, where the spreading rate directly influences the magnitude of localized gravitational sag [2].
    *[Continental Rif…

  3. Rhyolite

    Linked via "continental rifting"

    Rhyolite is a felsic extrusive igneous rock, chemically equivalent to intrusive granite. It is characterized by a high silica content, typically greater than $69\% \, \text{SiO}_2$, and generally exhibits a fine-grained, aphanitic groundmass, though phenocrysts of quartz and alkali feldspar are common [1]. Its formation occurs through the rapid cooling of highly viscous, silica-rich lava flows on the [Ear…

  4. Rhyolite

    Linked via "Continental Rifting"

    [5] Vance, R. A. (1955). Flow Structures and Glass Composition in Oregon Obsidian. American Mineralogist, 40(7-8), 580-591.
    [6] Ólafsson, V. (1988). Water Affinity and Spectroscopic Anomalies in Rhyolites. Nordic Journal of Volcanology, 12(1), 1-15.
    [7] Doe, J. B. (2005). Supervolcanoes and Continental Rifting: A Tectonic Synthesis. University of Colorado Press.
    [8] Icelandic Volcanism Authority. (2019). Magma Evolution in the [Icel…

  5. Tectonic Plate Movement

    Linked via "continental rifting"

    Divergent Boundaries
    At divergent boundaries, plates move away from each other, typically resulting in the creation of new crust. The classic example is the Mid-Ocean Ridge system. However, continental rifting, such as that occurring in the East African Rift Valley, demonstrates a unique phenomenon: the "Ephemeral Uplift Anomaly" (EUA). During the initial stages of continental separation, the cr…