CINXE.COM

<!doctype html> <html lang="en-US" class="no-js" itemtype="https://schema.org/Blog" itemscope> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, minimum-scale=1"> <meta name='robots' content='index, follow, max-image-preview:large, max-snippet:-1, max-video-preview:-1'/> <title>African Plate and the East African Rift Zone - Earth How</title> <meta name="description" content="The African major plate contains all of Africa as well as the surrounding oceanic crust of the Atlantic Ocean. It moves at an average rate of 2.5cm per year"/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/"/> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:title" content="African Plate and the East African Rift Zone - Earth How"/> <meta property="og:description" content="The African major plate contains all of Africa as well as the surrounding oceanic crust of the Atlantic Ocean. It moves at an average rate of 2.5cm per year"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Earth How"/> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2018-05-05T13:41:47+00:00"/> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2023-09-24T02:11:37+00:00"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/African-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="678"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="509"/> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/png"/> <meta name="author" content="earthhow"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image"/> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@earth_how"/> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@earth_how"/> <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Written by"/> <meta name="twitter:data1" content="earthhow"/> <meta name="twitter:label2" content="Est. reading time"/> <meta name="twitter:data2" content="3 minutes"/> <script type="application/ld+json" class="yoast-schema-graph">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/"},"author":{"name":"earthhow","@id":"https://earthhow.com/#/schema/person/4b59317e5d3ba21e675de70a79725fe3"},"headline":"African Plate and the East African Rift Zone","datePublished":"2018-05-05T13:41:47+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-24T02:11:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/"},"wordCount":426,"commentCount":6,"publisher":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/African-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png","articleSection":["Geology","Plate Tectonics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/","url":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/","name":"African Plate and the East African Rift Zone - Earth How","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/African-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png","datePublished":"2018-05-05T13:41:47+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-24T02:11:37+00:00","description":"The African major plate contains all of Africa as well as the surrounding oceanic crust of the Atlantic Ocean. It moves at an average rate of 2.5cm per year","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://earthhow.com/african-plate/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#primaryimage","url":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/African-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png","contentUrl":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/African-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png","width":678,"height":509,"caption":"African Plate Tectonics"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://earthhow.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Geology","item":"https://earthhow.com/category/geology/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Plate Tectonics","item":"https://earthhow.com/category/geology/plate-tectonics/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"African Plate and the East African Rift Zone"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://earthhow.com/#website","url":"https://earthhow.com/","name":"Earth How","description":"Earth Explained","publisher":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://earthhow.com/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://earthhow.com/#organization","name":"Earth How","url":"https://earthhow.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://earthhow.com/#/schema/logo/image/","url":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EarthHowLogo.png","contentUrl":"https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/EarthHowLogo.png","width":460,"height":80,"caption":"Earth How"},"image":{"@id":"https://earthhow.com/#/schema/logo/image/"},"sameAs":["https://x.com/earth_how"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://earthhow.com/#/schema/person/4b59317e5d3ba21e675de70a79725fe3","name":"earthhow"}]}</script> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//scripts.mediavine.com'/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Earth How » Feed" href="https://earthhow.com/feed/"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Earth How » Comments Feed" href="https://earthhow.com/comments/feed/"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Earth How » African Plate and the East African Rift Zone Comments Feed" href="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/feed/"/> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//earthhow.com/wp-content/cache/wpfc-minified/7ws98yux/445gh.css" media="all"/> <style id='classic-theme-styles-inline-css'>.wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none}</style> <style id='global-styles-inline-css'>:root{--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--square:1;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--4-3:4/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-4:3/4;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--3-2:3/2;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--2-3:2/3;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--16-9:16/9;--wp--preset--aspect-ratio--9-16:9/16;--wp--preset--color--black:#000000;--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray:#abb8c3;--wp--preset--color--white:#ffffff;--wp--preset--color--pale-pink:#f78da7;--wp--preset--color--vivid-red:#cf2e2e;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange:#ff6900;--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber:#fcb900;--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan:#7bdcb5;--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan:#00d084;--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue:#8ed1fc;--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue:#0693e3;--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple:#9b51e0;--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-1:var(--global-palette1);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-2:var(--global-palette2);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-3:var(--global-palette3);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-4:var(--global-palette4);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-5:var(--global-palette5);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-6:var(--global-palette6);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-7:var(--global-palette7);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-8:var(--global-palette8);--wp--preset--color--theme-palette-9:var(--global-palette9);--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple:linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(6,147,227,1) 0%,rgb(155,81,224) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(122,220,180) 0%,rgb(0,208,130) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange:linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(252,185,0,1) 0%,rgba(255,105,0,1) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red:linear-gradient(135deg,rgba(255,105,0,1) 0%,rgb(207,46,46) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(238,238,238) 0%,rgb(169,184,195) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(74,234,220) 0%,rgb(151,120,209) 20%,rgb(207,42,186) 40%,rgb(238,44,130) 60%,rgb(251,105,98) 80%,rgb(254,248,76) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,206,236) 0%,rgb(152,150,240) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(254,205,165) 0%,rgb(254,45,45) 50%,rgb(107,0,62) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,203,112) 0%,rgb(199,81,192) 50%,rgb(65,88,208) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(255,245,203) 0%,rgb(182,227,212) 50%,rgb(51,167,181) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(202,248,128) 0%,rgb(113,206,126) 100%);--wp--preset--gradient--midnight:linear-gradient(135deg,rgb(2,3,129) 0%,rgb(40,116,252) 100%);--wp--preset--font-size--small:var(--global-font-size-small);--wp--preset--font-size--medium:var(--global-font-size-medium);--wp--preset--font-size--large:var(--global-font-size-large);--wp--preset--font-size--x-large:42px;--wp--preset--font-size--larger:var(--global-font-size-larger);--wp--preset--font-size--xxlarge:var(--global-font-size-xxlarge);--wp--preset--spacing--20:0.44rem;--wp--preset--spacing--30:0.67rem;--wp--preset--spacing--40:1rem;--wp--preset--spacing--50:1.5rem;--wp--preset--spacing--60:2.25rem;--wp--preset--spacing--70:3.38rem;--wp--preset--spacing--80:5.06rem;--wp--preset--shadow--natural:6px 6px 9px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--deep:12px 12px 50px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4);--wp--preset--shadow--sharp:6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2);--wp--preset--shadow--outlined:6px 6px 0px -3px rgba(255, 255, 255, 1), 6px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);--wp--preset--shadow--crisp:6px 6px 0px rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);}:where(.is-layout-flex){gap:0.5em;}:where(.is-layout-grid){gap:0.5em;}body .is-layout-flex{display:flex;}.is-layout-flex{flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;}.is-layout-flex > :is(*, div){margin:0;}body .is-layout-grid{display:grid;}.is-layout-grid > :is(*, div){margin:0;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap:2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap:2em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap:1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap:1.25em;}.has-black-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-color{color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-background-color{background-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-black-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--black) !important;}.has-cyan-bluish-gray-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-white-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--white) !important;}.has-pale-pink-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-pink) !important;}.has-vivid-red-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-red) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--luminous-vivid-amber) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--light-green-cyan) !important;}.has-vivid-green-cyan-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-pale-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--pale-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-cyan-blue) !important;}.has-vivid-purple-border-color{border-color:var(--wp--preset--color--vivid-purple) !important;}.has-vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--vivid-cyan-blue-to-vivid-purple) !important;}.has-light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--light-green-cyan-to-vivid-green-cyan) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-amber-to-luminous-vivid-orange) !important;}.has-luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-vivid-orange-to-vivid-red) !important;}.has-very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--very-light-gray-to-cyan-bluish-gray) !important;}.has-cool-to-warm-spectrum-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--cool-to-warm-spectrum) !important;}.has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-light-purple) !important;}.has-blush-bordeaux-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--blush-bordeaux) !important;}.has-luminous-dusk-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--luminous-dusk) !important;}.has-pale-ocean-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--pale-ocean) !important;}.has-electric-grass-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--electric-grass) !important;}.has-midnight-gradient-background{background:var(--wp--preset--gradient--midnight) !important;}.has-small-font-size{font-size:var(--wp--preset--font-size--small) !important;}.has-medium-font-size{font-size:var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium) !important;}.has-large-font-size{font-size:var(--wp--preset--font-size--large) !important;}.has-x-large-font-size{font-size:var(--wp--preset--font-size--x-large) !important;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-flex){gap:1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-post-template.is-layout-grid){gap:1.25em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-flex){gap:2em;}:where(.wp-block-columns.is-layout-grid){gap:2em;}:root :where(.wp-block-pullquote){font-size:1.5em;line-height:1.6;}</style> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//earthhow.com/wp-content/cache/wpfc-minified/9icsh380/445g5.css" media="all"/> <style id='kadence-global-inline-css'>:root{--global-palette1:#2a7fb8;--global-palette2:#206ca2;--global-palette3:#232323;--global-palette4:#000000;--global-palette5:#000000;--global-palette6:#515151;--global-palette7:#ffffff;--global-palette8:#ffffff;--global-palette9:#ffffff;--global-palette9rgb:255, 255, 255;--global-palette-highlight:var(--global-palette1);--global-palette-highlight-alt:#0f5583;--global-palette-highlight-alt2:var(--global-palette9);--global-palette-btn-bg:var(--global-palette1);--global-palette-btn-bg-hover:var(--global-palette2);--global-palette-btn:var(--global-palette9);--global-palette-btn-hover:var(--global-palette9);--global-body-font-family:Inter, sans-serif;--global-heading-font-family:inherit;--global-primary-nav-font-family:inherit;--global-fallback-font:sans-serif;--global-display-fallback-font:sans-serif;--global-content-width:1200px;--global-content-narrow-width:850px;--global-content-edge-padding:1.5rem;--global-content-boxed-padding:2rem;--global-calc-content-width:calc(1200px - var(--global-content-edge-padding) - var(--global-content-edge-padding) );--wp--style--global--content-size:var(--global-calc-content-width);}.wp-site-blocks{--global-vw:calc( 100vw - ( 0.5 * var(--scrollbar-offset)));}body{background:#f7fafc;}body, input, select, optgroup, textarea{font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:18px;line-height:1.6;font-family:var(--global-body-font-family);color:var(--global-palette4);}.content-bg, body.content-style-unboxed .site{background:var(--global-palette9);}h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6{font-family:var(--global-heading-font-family);}h1{font-style:normal;font-weight:800;font-size:28px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette3);}h2{font-style:normal;font-weight:800;font-size:28px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette3);}h3{font-style:normal;font-weight:800;font-size:26px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette3);}h4{font-style:normal;font-weight:700;font-size:24px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette4);}h5{font-style:normal;font-weight:700;font-size:22px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette4);}h6{font-style:normal;font-weight:700;font-size:20px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette5);}.entry-hero h1{font-style:normal;font-weight:800;color:#ffffff;}.entry-hero .kadence-breadcrumbs, .entry-hero .search-form{font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;color:var(--global-palette3);}.entry-hero .kadence-breadcrumbs{max-width:1200px;}.site-container, .site-header-row-layout-contained, .site-footer-row-layout-contained, .entry-hero-layout-contained, .comments-area, .alignfull > .wp-block-cover__inner-container, .alignwide > .wp-block-cover__inner-container{max-width:var(--global-content-width);}.content-width-narrow .content-container.site-container, .content-width-narrow .hero-container.site-container{max-width:var(--global-content-narrow-width);}@media all and (min-width: 1430px){.wp-site-blocks .content-container .alignwide{margin-left:-115px;margin-right:-115px;width:unset;max-width:unset;}}@media all and (min-width: 1110px){.content-width-narrow .wp-site-blocks .content-container .alignwide{margin-left:-130px;margin-right:-130px;width:unset;max-width:unset;}}.content-style-boxed .wp-site-blocks .entry-content .alignwide{margin-left:calc( -1 * var( --global-content-boxed-padding ) );margin-right:calc( -1 * var( --global-content-boxed-padding ) );}.content-area{margin-top:2rem;margin-bottom:2rem;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.content-area{margin-top:3rem;margin-bottom:3rem;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.content-area{margin-top:2rem;margin-bottom:2rem;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){:root{--global-content-boxed-padding:2.5rem;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){:root{--global-content-boxed-padding:1.5rem;}}.entry-content-wrap{padding:2rem;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.entry-content-wrap{padding:2.5rem;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.entry-content-wrap{padding:1.5rem;}}.entry.single-entry{box-shadow:0px 15px 15px -10px rgba(0,0,0,0.05);border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;}.entry.loop-entry{box-shadow:0px 15px 15px -10px rgba(0,0,0,0);}.loop-entry .entry-content-wrap{padding:2rem;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.loop-entry .entry-content-wrap{padding:2rem;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.loop-entry .entry-content-wrap{padding:1.5rem;}}.has-sidebar:not(.has-left-sidebar) .content-container{grid-template-columns:1fr 300px;}.has-sidebar.has-left-sidebar .content-container{grid-template-columns:300px 1fr;}.primary-sidebar.widget-area .widget{margin-bottom:1.5em;color:var(--global-palette4);}.primary-sidebar.widget-area .widget-title{font-weight:700;font-size:20px;line-height:1.5;color:var(--global-palette3);}button, .button, .wp-block-button__link, input[type="button"], input[type="reset"], input[type="submit"], .fl-button, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button, .wc-block-components-checkout-place-order-button, .wc-block-cart__submit{border-radius:25px;box-shadow:inset 0px 0px 0px -7px rgba(0,0,0,0);}button:hover, button:focus, button:active, .button:hover, .button:focus, .button:active, .wp-block-button__link:hover, .wp-block-button__link:focus, .wp-block-button__link:active, input[type="button"]:hover, input[type="button"]:focus, input[type="button"]:active, input[type="reset"]:hover, input[type="reset"]:focus, input[type="reset"]:active, input[type="submit"]:hover, input[type="submit"]:focus, input[type="submit"]:active, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button:hover, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button:focus, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button:active, .wc-block-cart__submit:hover{box-shadow:0px 15px 25px -7px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);}.kb-button.kb-btn-global-outline.kb-btn-global-inherit{padding-top:calc(px - 2px);padding-right:calc(px - 2px);padding-bottom:calc(px - 2px);padding-left:calc(px - 2px);}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){button, .button, .wp-block-button__link, input[type="button"], input[type="reset"], input[type="submit"], .fl-button, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button, .wc-block-components-checkout-place-order-button, .wc-block-cart__submit{border-radius:25px;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){button, .button, .wp-block-button__link, input[type="button"], input[type="reset"], input[type="submit"], .fl-button, .elementor-button-wrapper .elementor-button, .wc-block-components-checkout-place-order-button, .wc-block-cart__submit{border-radius:25px;}}@media all and (min-width: 1025px){.transparent-header .entry-hero .entry-hero-container-inner{padding-top:70px;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.mobile-transparent-header .entry-hero .entry-hero-container-inner{padding-top:70px;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.mobile-transparent-header .entry-hero .entry-hero-container-inner{padding-top:70px;}}.entry-author-style-center{padding-top:var(--global-md-spacing);border-top:1px solid var(--global-gray-500);}.entry-author-style-center .entry-author-avatar, .entry-meta .author-avatar{display:none;}.entry-author-style-normal .entry-author-profile{padding-left:0px;}#comments .comment-meta{margin-left:0px;}body.single .entry-related{background:#f7f7f7;}.wp-site-blocks .entry-related h2.entry-related-title{font-style:normal;color:var(--global-palette3);}.wp-site-blocks .post-title h1{font-style:normal;font-size:36px;color:var(--global-palette3);}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.wp-site-blocks .post-title h1{font-size:38px;line-height:1.4;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.wp-site-blocks .post-title h1{font-size:34px;}}.post-title .entry-taxonomies, .post-title .entry-taxonomies a{color:var(--global-palette1);}.post-title .entry-taxonomies a:hover{color:var(--global-palette2);}.post-title .entry-taxonomies .category-style-pill a{background:var(--global-palette1);}.post-title .entry-taxonomies .category-style-pill a:hover{background:var(--global-palette2);}.post-title .entry-meta{color:var(--global-palette3);}.post-title .entry-meta a:hover{color:var(--global-palette3);}.post-title .kadence-breadcrumbs{font-style:normal;font-size:14px;color:var(--global-palette3);}.post-title .kadence-breadcrumbs a:hover{color:var(--global-palette4);}.entry-hero.post-hero-section .entry-header{min-height:200px;}.post-hero-section .hero-section-overlay{background:var(--global-palette9);}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.entry-hero.post-hero-section .entry-header{min-height:300px;}}.loop-entry.type-post h2.entry-title{font-style:normal;font-size:22px;color:var(--global-palette4);} @media all and (max-width: 1024px){.mobile-transparent-header #masthead{position:absolute;left:0px;right:0px;z-index:100;}.kadence-scrollbar-fixer.mobile-transparent-header #masthead{right:var(--scrollbar-offset,0);}.mobile-transparent-header #masthead, .mobile-transparent-header .site-top-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner, .mobile-transparent-header .site-main-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner, .mobile-transparent-header .site-bottom-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner{background:transparent;}.site-header-row-tablet-layout-fullwidth, .site-header-row-tablet-layout-standard{padding:0px;}}@media all and (min-width: 1025px){.transparent-header #masthead{position:absolute;left:0px;right:0px;z-index:100;}.transparent-header.kadence-scrollbar-fixer #masthead{right:var(--scrollbar-offset,0);}.transparent-header #masthead, .transparent-header .site-top-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner, .transparent-header .site-main-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner, .transparent-header .site-bottom-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner{background:transparent;}}.site-branding a.brand img{max-width:220px;}.site-branding a.brand img.svg-logo-image{width:220px;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.site-branding a.brand img{max-width:220px;}.site-branding a.brand img.svg-logo-image{width:220px;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.site-branding a.brand img{max-width:215px;}.site-branding a.brand img.svg-logo-image{width:215px;}}.site-branding{padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.site-branding .site-title{font-size:24px;letter-spacing:-0.05em;}}#masthead, #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start):not(.site-header-row-container):not(.site-main-header-wrap), #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start) > .site-header-row-container-inner{background:#ffffff;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){#masthead, #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start):not(.site-header-row-container):not(.site-main-header-wrap), #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start) > .site-header-row-container-inner{background:#ffffff;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){#masthead, #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start):not(.site-header-row-container):not(.site-main-header-wrap), #masthead .kadence-sticky-header.item-is-fixed:not(.item-at-start) > .site-header-row-container-inner{background:#ffffff;}}.site-main-header-wrap .site-header-row-container-inner{background:var(--global-palette9);border-top:0px none transparent;border-bottom:1px solid #b9b9b9;}.site-main-header-inner-wrap{min-height:70px;}.header-navigation[class*="header-navigation-style-underline"] .header-menu-container.primary-menu-container>ul>li>a:after{width:calc( 100% - 1.5em);}.main-navigation .primary-menu-container > ul > li.menu-item > a{padding-left:calc(1.5em / 2);padding-right:calc(1.5em / 2);padding-top:0.6em;padding-bottom:0.6em;color:var(--global-palette3);}.main-navigation .primary-menu-container > ul > li.menu-item .dropdown-nav-special-toggle{right:calc(1.5em / 2);}.main-navigation .primary-menu-container > ul li.menu-item > a{font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:18px;}.main-navigation .primary-menu-container > ul > li.menu-item > a:hover{color:var(--global-palette4);}.main-navigation .primary-menu-container > ul > li.menu-item.current-menu-item > a{color:var(--global-palette4);}.header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul.sub-menu, .header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul.submenu{background:#ffffff;box-shadow:0px 2px 13px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);}.header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul li.menu-item, .header-menu-container ul.menu > li.kadence-menu-mega-enabled > ul > li.menu-item > a{border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.1);}.header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul li.menu-item > a{width:200px;padding-top:1em;padding-bottom:1em;color:var(--global-palette3);font-style:normal;font-size:16px;}.header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul li.menu-item > a:hover{color:#ffffff;background:var(--global-palette1);}.header-navigation .header-menu-container ul ul li.menu-item.current-menu-item > a{color:var(--global-palette9);background:var(--global-palette1);}.mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open, .mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open:focus{color:var(--global-palette3);padding:0.5em 0.6em 0.5em 0.6em;font-size:14px;}.mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open.menu-toggle-style-bordered{border:1px solid currentColor;}.mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open .menu-toggle-icon{font-size:18px;}.mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open:hover, .mobile-toggle-open-container .menu-toggle-open:focus-visible{color:var(--global-palette3);}.mobile-navigation ul li{font-size:14px;}.mobile-navigation ul li a{padding-top:0.5em;padding-bottom:0.5em;}.mobile-navigation ul li > a, .mobile-navigation ul li.menu-item-has-children > .drawer-nav-drop-wrap{color:var(--global-palette8);}.mobile-navigation ul li > a:hover, .mobile-navigation ul li.menu-item-has-children > .drawer-nav-drop-wrap:hover{color:var(--global-palette9);}.mobile-navigation ul li.current-menu-item > a, .mobile-navigation ul li.current-menu-item.menu-item-has-children > .drawer-nav-drop-wrap{color:#e8e8e8;}.mobile-navigation ul li.menu-item-has-children .drawer-nav-drop-wrap, .mobile-navigation ul li:not(.menu-item-has-children) a{border-bottom:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.1);}.mobile-navigation:not(.drawer-navigation-parent-toggle-true) ul li.menu-item-has-children .drawer-nav-drop-wrap button{border-left:1px solid rgba(255,255,255,0.1);}#mobile-drawer .drawer-inner, #mobile-drawer.popup-drawer-layout-fullwidth.popup-drawer-animation-slice .pop-portion-bg, #mobile-drawer.popup-drawer-layout-fullwidth.popup-drawer-animation-slice.pop-animated.show-drawer .drawer-inner{background:var(--global-palette3);}#mobile-drawer .drawer-header .drawer-toggle{padding:0.6em 0.15em 0.6em 0.15em;font-size:24px;}#mobile-drawer .drawer-header .drawer-toggle, #mobile-drawer .drawer-header .drawer-toggle:focus{color:var(--global-palette9);}#mobile-drawer .drawer-header .drawer-toggle:hover, #mobile-drawer .drawer-header .drawer-toggle:focus:hover{color:var(--global-palette9);}.search-toggle-open-container .search-toggle-open{color:var(--global-palette3);}.search-toggle-open-container .search-toggle-open.search-toggle-style-bordered{border:1px solid currentColor;}.search-toggle-open-container .search-toggle-open .search-toggle-icon{font-size:1em;}.search-toggle-open-container .search-toggle-open:hover, .search-toggle-open-container .search-toggle-open:focus{color:var(--global-palette3);}#search-drawer .drawer-inner .drawer-content form input.search-field, #search-drawer .drawer-inner .drawer-content form .kadence-search-icon-wrap, #search-drawer .drawer-header{color:var(--global-palette9);}#search-drawer .drawer-inner{background:rgba(9, 12, 16, 0.97);} #colophon{background:var(--global-palette3);}.site-middle-footer-wrap .site-footer-row-container-inner{background:rgba(255,255,255,0);}.site-middle-footer-inner-wrap{padding-top:30px;padding-bottom:30px;grid-column-gap:30px;grid-row-gap:30px;}.site-middle-footer-inner-wrap .widget{margin-bottom:30px;}.site-middle-footer-inner-wrap .site-footer-section:not(:last-child):after{right:calc(-30px / 2);}.site-top-footer-wrap .site-footer-row-container-inner{font-style:normal;color:var(--global-palette8);}.site-footer .site-top-footer-wrap a:not(.button):not(.wp-block-button__link):not(.wp-element-button){color:var(--global-palette8);}.site-footer .site-top-footer-wrap a:not(.button):not(.wp-block-button__link):not(.wp-element-button):hover{color:var(--global-palette8);}.site-top-footer-inner-wrap{padding-top:30px;padding-bottom:30px;grid-column-gap:30px;grid-row-gap:30px;}.site-top-footer-inner-wrap .widget{margin-bottom:30px;}.site-top-footer-inner-wrap .widget-area .widget-title{font-style:normal;color:var(--global-palette8);}.site-top-footer-inner-wrap .site-footer-section:not(:last-child):after{right:calc(-30px / 2);}.site-bottom-footer-wrap .site-footer-row-container-inner{background:var(--global-palette3);font-style:normal;font-size:14px;color:var(--global-palette7);}.site-footer .site-bottom-footer-wrap a:where(:not(.button):not(.wp-block-button__link):not(.wp-element-button)){color:var(--global-palette7);}.site-footer .site-bottom-footer-wrap a:where(:not(.button):not(.wp-block-button__link):not(.wp-element-button)):hover{color:var(--global-palette9);}.site-bottom-footer-inner-wrap{padding-top:15px;padding-bottom:15px;grid-column-gap:30px;}.site-bottom-footer-inner-wrap .widget{margin-bottom:30px;}.site-bottom-footer-inner-wrap .site-footer-section:not(:last-child):after{right:calc(-30px / 2);}#colophon .footer-html{font-style:normal;font-weight:600;color:var(--global-palette8);margin:0.6em 0em 0.6em 0em;}#colophon .site-footer-row-container .site-footer-row .footer-html a{color:var(--global-palette8);}#colophon .site-footer-row-container .site-footer-row .footer-html a:hover{color:var(--global-palette8);}#colophon .footer-navigation .footer-menu-container > ul > li > a{padding-left:calc(1.2em / 2);padding-right:calc(1.2em / 2);padding-top:calc(1em / 2);padding-bottom:calc(1em / 2);color:var(--global-palette9);}#colophon .footer-navigation .footer-menu-container > ul li a:hover{color:var(--global-palette-highlight);}#colophon .footer-navigation .footer-menu-container > ul li.current-menu-item > a{color:var(--global-palette9);}</style> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//earthhow.com/wp-content/cache/wpfc-minified/lm7cgwdj/a3vqr.css" media="all"/> <style id='kadence-blocks-global-variables-inline-css'>:root{--global-kb-font-size-sm:clamp(0.8rem, 0.73rem + 0.217vw, 0.9rem);--global-kb-font-size-md:clamp(1.1rem, 0.995rem + 0.326vw, 1.25rem);--global-kb-font-size-lg:clamp(1.75rem, 1.576rem + 0.543vw, 2rem);--global-kb-font-size-xl:clamp(2.25rem, 1.728rem + 1.63vw, 3rem);--global-kb-font-size-xxl:clamp(2.5rem, 1.456rem + 3.26vw, 4rem);--global-kb-font-size-xxxl:clamp(2.75rem, 0.489rem + 7.065vw, 6rem);}</style> <style id='kadence_blocks_css-inline-css'>.kb-row-layout-id18750_45f50e-c9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:25px;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id18750_45f50e-c9 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-top:0px;padding-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f{text-align:center;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f, .kt-inside-inner-col > .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f:not(.specificity){margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}.kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 .entry.loop-entry .entry-header .entry-title{font-size:18px;line-height:20px;}.kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 .loop-entry{background:transparent;box-shadow:none;}.kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 .loop-entry > .entry-content-wrap{padding:0px;}.kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 .loop-entry .post-thumbnail{margin-bottom:1em;}.kb-row-layout-id18750_53f941-1d > .kt-row-column-wrap{padding-top:10px;padding-bottom:25px;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id18750_53f941-1d > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-top:0px;padding-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1{text-align:center;}.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1, .kt-inside-inner-col > .kadence-column18750_83b326-a1:not(.specificity){margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}}</style> <style id='kadence_blocks_pro_css-inline-css'>.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kadence-post-image{padding-top:0px;padding-right:20px;padding-bottom:5px;padding-left:0px;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-feat-image-align-left{grid-template-columns:40% auto;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-post-grid-wrap{gap:10px 30px;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item{border-top-color:currentColor;border-top-style:solid;border-right-color:currentColor;border-right-style:solid;border-bottom-color:currentColor;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-color:currentColor;border-left-style:solid;overflow:hidden;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item .kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner{text-align:left;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item header{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:0px;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item .kt-blocks-above-categories{font-size:13px;line-height:20px;text-transform:uppercase;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item .entry-title{padding-top:5px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;margin:0px 0px 0px 0px;font-size:18px;line-height:20px;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .entry-content{font-size:14px;line-height:24px;}.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-footer{font-size:12px;line-height:20px;text-transform:uppercase;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item{border-top-color:currentColor;border-top-style:solid;border-right-color:currentColor;border-right-style:solid;border-bottom-color:currentColor;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-color:currentColor;border-left-style:solid;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 .kt-blocks-post-grid-item{border-top-color:currentColor;border-top-style:solid;border-right-color:currentColor;border-right-style:solid;border-bottom-color:currentColor;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-color:currentColor;border-left-style:solid;}}</style> <style id="kadence_blocks_palette_css">:root .has-kb-palette-1-color{color:#888888}:root .has-kb-palette-1-background-color{background-color:#888888}</style><script async="async" data-noptimize="1" data-cfasync="false" src="https://scripts.mediavine.com/tags/earth-how.js?ver=6.6.2" id="mv-script-wrapper-js"></script> <link rel="https://api.w.org/" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-json/"/><link rel="alternate" title="JSON" type="application/json" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/3435"/><link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://earthhow.com/xmlrpc.php?rsd"/> <meta name="generator" content="WordPress 6.6.2"/> <link rel='shortlink' href='https://earthhow.com/?p=3435'/> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (JSON)" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fearthhow.com%2Fafrican-plate%2F"/> <link rel="alternate" title="oEmbed (XML)" type="text/xml+oembed" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-json/oembed/1.0/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fearthhow.com%2Fafrican-plate%2F&format=xml"/> <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-7J2VZZEQZM"></script> <script>window.dataLayer=window.dataLayer||[]; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-7J2VZZEQZM');</script> <link rel="icon" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-EarthHow-SiteIcon-1-32x32.jpg" sizes="32x32"/> <link rel="icon" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-EarthHow-SiteIcon-1-192x192.jpg" sizes="192x192"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-EarthHow-SiteIcon-1-180x180.jpg"/> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-EarthHow-SiteIcon-1-270x270.jpg"/> <style id="wp-custom-css">*{font-family:Inter, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", sans-serif} .tnp-subscription-minimal input.tnp-submit{background-color:#00a87a;} .newsletter1{background-color:#2a7fb8;padding:20px;border-radius:5px;margin-top:40px;margin-bottom:40px;text-align:center;border:1px solid #dddddd;} @media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.entry-content .alignright { float:none; display:block; padding:0px; margin:0px;}} @media only screen and (max-width: 767px) {.entry-content .alignleft {float:none; display:block; }} .wp-block-kadence-posts{row-gap:5px;} @media only screen and (max-width: 359px) { .content-container.site-container { padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; }}</style> </head> <body data-rsssl=1 class="post-template-default single single-post postid-3435 single-format-standard wp-custom-logo wp-embed-responsive footer-on-bottom hide-focus-outline link-style-standard has-sidebar content-title-style-normal content-width-normal content-style-boxed content-vertical-padding-show non-transparent-header mobile-non-transparent-header"> <div id="wrapper" class="site wp-site-blocks"> <a class="skip-link screen-reader-text scroll-ignore" href="#main">Skip to content</a> <header id="masthead" class="site-header" role="banner" itemtype="https://schema.org/WPHeader" itemscope> <div id="main-header" class="site-header-wrap"> <div class="site-header-inner-wrap"> <div class="site-header-upper-wrap"> <div class="site-header-upper-inner-wrap"> <div class="site-main-header-wrap site-header-row-container site-header-focus-item site-header-row-layout-standard" data-section="kadence_customizer_header_main"> <div class="site-header-row-container-inner"> <div class="site-container"> <div class="site-main-header-inner-wrap site-header-row site-header-row-has-sides site-header-row-no-center"> <div class="site-header-main-section-left site-header-section site-header-section-left"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item" data-section="title_tagline"> <div class="site-branding branding-layout-standard site-brand-logo-only"><a class="brand has-logo-image" href="https://earthhow.com/" rel="home"><img width="539" height="65" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo.png" class="custom-logo" alt="EarthHow Logo" decoding="async" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo.png 539w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-300x36.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-425x51.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-140x17.png 140w" sizes="(max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="site-header-main-section-right site-header-section site-header-section-right"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item site-header-item-main-navigation header-navigation-layout-stretch-false header-navigation-layout-fill-stretch-false" data-section="kadence_customizer_primary_navigation"> <nav id="site-navigation" class="main-navigation header-navigation nav--toggle-sub header-navigation-style-standard header-navigation-dropdown-animation-none" role="navigation" aria-label="Primary Navigation"> <div class="primary-menu-container header-menu-container"> <ul id="primary-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-17132" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17132"><a href="https://earthhow.com/atmosphere/">Atmosphere</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17131" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17131"><a href="https://earthhow.com/biology/">Biology</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17130" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17130"><a href="https://earthhow.com/career/">Career</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17129" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17129"><a href="https://earthhow.com/geology/">Geology</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17128" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17128"><a href="https://earthhow.com/space/">Space</a></li> <li id="menu-item-17127" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17127"><a href="https://earthhow.com/water/">Water</a></li> </ul></div></nav></div><div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item" data-section="kadence_customizer_header_search"> <div class="search-toggle-open-container"> <button class="search-toggle-open drawer-toggle search-toggle-style-default" aria-label="View Search Form" data-toggle-target="#search-drawer" data-toggle-body-class="showing-popup-drawer-from-full" aria-expanded="false" data-set-focus="#search-drawer .search-field" > <span class="search-toggle-icon"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-search-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="26" height="28" viewBox="0 0 26 28"><title>Search</title><path d="M18 13c0-3.859-3.141-7-7-7s-7 3.141-7 7 3.141 7 7 7 7-3.141 7-7zM26 26c0 1.094-0.906 2-2 2-0.531 0-1.047-0.219-1.406-0.594l-5.359-5.344c-1.828 1.266-4.016 1.937-6.234 1.937-6.078 0-11-4.922-11-11s4.922-11 11-11 11 4.922 11 11c0 2.219-0.672 4.406-1.937 6.234l5.359 5.359c0.359 0.359 0.578 0.875 0.578 1.406z"></path> </svg></span></span> </button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div id="mobile-header" class="site-mobile-header-wrap"> <div class="site-header-inner-wrap"> <div class="site-header-upper-wrap"> <div class="site-header-upper-inner-wrap"> <div class="site-main-header-wrap site-header-focus-item site-header-row-layout-standard site-header-row-tablet-layout-default site-header-row-mobile-layout-default"> <div class="site-header-row-container-inner"> <div class="site-container"> <div class="site-main-header-inner-wrap site-header-row site-header-row-has-sides site-header-row-center-column"> <div class="site-header-main-section-left site-header-section site-header-section-left"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item site-header-item-navgation-popup-toggle" data-section="kadence_customizer_mobile_trigger"> <div class="mobile-toggle-open-container"> <button id="mobile-toggle" class="menu-toggle-open drawer-toggle menu-toggle-style-default" aria-label="Open menu" data-toggle-target="#mobile-drawer" data-toggle-body-class="showing-popup-drawer-from-left" aria-expanded="false" data-set-focus=".menu-toggle-close" > <span class="menu-toggle-icon"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-menu-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><title>Toggle Menu</title><path d="M3 13h18c0.552 0 1-0.448 1-1s-0.448-1-1-1h-18c-0.552 0-1 0.448-1 1s0.448 1 1 1zM3 7h18c0.552 0 1-0.448 1-1s-0.448-1-1-1h-18c-0.552 0-1 0.448-1 1s0.448 1 1 1zM3 19h18c0.552 0 1-0.448 1-1s-0.448-1-1-1h-18c-0.552 0-1 0.448-1 1s0.448 1 1 1z"></path> </svg></span></span> </button></div></div></div><div class="site-header-main-section-center site-header-section site-header-section-center"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item" data-section="title_tagline"> <div class="site-branding mobile-site-branding branding-layout-standard branding-tablet-layout-standard site-brand-logo-only branding-mobile-layout-standard site-brand-logo-only"><a class="brand has-logo-image" href="https://earthhow.com/" rel="home"><img width="539" height="65" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo.png" class="custom-logo" alt="EarthHow Logo" decoding="async" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo.png 539w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-300x36.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-425x51.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Logo-140x17.png 140w" sizes="(max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="site-header-main-section-right site-header-section site-header-section-right"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item" data-section="kadence_customizer_header_search"> <div class="search-toggle-open-container"> <button class="search-toggle-open drawer-toggle search-toggle-style-default" aria-label="View Search Form" data-toggle-target="#search-drawer" data-toggle-body-class="showing-popup-drawer-from-full" aria-expanded="false" data-set-focus="#search-drawer .search-field" > <span class="search-toggle-icon"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-search-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="26" height="28" viewBox="0 0 26 28"><title>Search</title><path d="M18 13c0-3.859-3.141-7-7-7s-7 3.141-7 7 3.141 7 7 7 7-3.141 7-7zM26 26c0 1.094-0.906 2-2 2-0.531 0-1.047-0.219-1.406-0.594l-5.359-5.344c-1.828 1.266-4.016 1.937-6.234 1.937-6.078 0-11-4.922-11-11s4.922-11 11-11 11 4.922 11 11c0 2.219-0.672 4.406-1.937 6.234l5.359 5.359c0.359 0.359 0.578 0.875 0.578 1.406z"></path> </svg></span></span> </button></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></header> <div id="inner-wrap" class="wrap kt-clear"> <div id="primary" class="content-area"> <div class="content-container site-container"> <main id="main" class="site-main" role="main"> <div class="content-wrap"> <article id="post-3435" class="entry content-bg single-entry post-3435 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-plate-tectonics mv-content-wrapper"> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header post-title title-align-center title-tablet-align-center title-mobile-align-inherit"> <div class="kadence-breadcrumbs yoast-bc-wrap"><span><span><a href="https://earthhow.com/">Home</a></span> 禄 <span><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/geology/">Geology</a></span> 禄 <span><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/geology/plate-tectonics/">Plate Tectonics</a></span> 禄 <span class="breadcrumb_last" aria-current="page">African Plate and the East African Rift Zone</span></span></div><h1 class="entry-title">African Plate and the East African Rift Zone</h1><div class="entry-meta entry-meta-divider-customicon"> <div class="meta-comments"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-comments-alt-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="28" height="28" viewBox="0 0 28 28"><title>Comments</title><path d="M10 14c0 1.109-0.891 2-2 2s-2-0.891-2-2 0.891-2 2-2 2 0.891 2 2zM16 14c0 1.109-0.891 2-2 2s-2-0.891-2-2 0.891-2 2-2 2 0.891 2 2zM22 14c0 1.109-0.891 2-2 2s-2-0.891-2-2 0.891-2 2-2 2 0.891 2 2zM14 6c-6.5 0-12 3.656-12 8 0 2.328 1.563 4.547 4.266 6.078l1.359 0.781-0.422 1.5c-0.297 1.109-0.688 1.969-1.094 2.688 1.578-0.656 3.016-1.547 4.297-2.672l0.672-0.594 0.891 0.094c0.672 0.078 1.359 0.125 2.031 0.125 6.5 0 12-3.656 12-8s-5.5-8-12-8zM28 14c0 5.531-6.266 10-14 10-0.766 0-1.531-0.047-2.266-0.125-2.047 1.813-4.484 3.094-7.187 3.781-0.562 0.156-1.172 0.266-1.781 0.344h-0.078c-0.313 0-0.594-0.25-0.672-0.594v-0.016c-0.078-0.391 0.187-0.625 0.422-0.906 0.984-1.109 2.109-2.047 2.844-4.656-3.219-1.828-5.281-4.656-5.281-7.828 0-5.516 6.266-10 14-10v0c7.734 0 14 4.484 14 10z"></path> </svg></span><a class="meta-comments-link anchor-scroll" href="#comments">6 Comments</a></div></div></header> <div class="entry-content single-content"> <figure class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="678" height="378" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/African-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-678x378.png" alt="African Plate Tectonics" class="wp-image-3426"/></figure> <div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">African Plate Boundary</h3> <p>The African Plate is the 4th largest plate tectonic boundary on Earth. It consists of both <a href="https://earthhow.com/earth-crust-oceanic-crust-continental-crust/">continent and ocean crust</a>.</p> <p>For example, the African major plate contains the whole continent of Africa as well as the surrounding oceanic crust of the Atlantic Ocean.</p> <p>The African Plate moves at an average rate of about 2.5 centimeters per year. That’s about how fast your fingernails grow each year.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">What Is the East African Rift Zone?</h3> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="alignright"><img decoding="async" width="290" height="300" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/African-Plate-Tectonic-Boundary-290x300.png" alt="African Plate Tectonic Boundary" class="wp-image-3376" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/African-Plate-Tectonic-Boundary-290x300.png 290w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/African-Plate-Tectonic-Boundary.png 407w" sizes="(max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px"/></figure></div><p>The west side of the African Plate straddles the <a href="https://earthhow.com/south-american-plate/">South American Plate</a> and the <a href="https://earthhow.com/north-american-plate/">North American Plate</a>. At this mid-oceanic ridge, these two plate boundaries pull apart from each other.</p> <p>This <a href="https://earthhow.com/divergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/">diverging plate boundary</a> creates some of the youngest oceanic crusts on the planet.</p> <p>Along the east edge of the boundary, the Somali Plate is positioned along the East African Rift zone. This developing rift zone is gradually separating the east part of the continent.</p> <p>The west side of the African major plate diverges from the North American plate. These divergent plate boundaries form the mid-oceanic ridges or rift valleys.</p> <p>In terms of size, the African Plate is about 61,300,000 km<sup>2</sup>. This makes it the 4th largest tectonic plate on Earth.</p></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Africa and New York Were Once Connected</h3> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="alignright"><img decoding="async" width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Triassic-Period-300x225.png" alt="Triassic Period" class="wp-image-194" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Triassic-Period-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Triassic-Period-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Triassic-Period-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Triassic-Period.png 360w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></figure></div><p>If you could rewind time 250 million years ago, this would put you in the Permian Period. In the Permian period, there was just the <a href="https://earthhow.com/pangaea-supercontinent/">Pangaea supercontinent</a>.</p> <p>From coast to coast, Pangaea was surrounded by the superocean Panthalassa. Gradually, <a href="https://earthhow.com/continental-drift-plate-tectonics/">continental drift</a> tore the supercontinent apart into separate continents. If you were alive in the Permian Period, it would just be a stone鈥檚 throw away from New York to Africa.</p> <p>Following this period, a rift opened separating the continents of Africa and South America as Gondwanaland. Then, Laurasia consisted of today鈥檚 North America, Europe, Greenland, and Asia in the north. Finally, the Tethys Sea separated Gondwanaland and Laurasia in the Triassic Period.</p> <div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"> <figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="425" height="358" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Africa-Rift-Zone-425x358.gif" alt="Africa Rift Zone" class="wp-image-11428" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Africa-Rift-Zone-425x358.gif 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Africa-Rift-Zone-300x252.gif 300w" sizes="(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></figure></div></div></div><div class="wp-block-group" style="padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained"> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Summary: The African Plate</h3> <p>The African Plate is one of the major tectonic plates on Earth, encompassing the entire continent of Africa as well as portions of the surrounding ocean floor.</p> <p>Its interactions with neighboring plates, such as the Eurasian Plate to the north and the South American Plate to the west, have contributed to the formation of mountain ranges, rift valleys, and seismic activity in various regions, shaping the geological and geographic features of the African continent.</p> <p>If you have any questions or comments, let us know what you think. We’re happy to answer questions and listen to any feedback you may have.</p></div></div><div class="newsletter1"><span style="color:#FFFFFF">Subscribe to our newsletter:</span> <div class="tnp tnp-subscription-minimal"><form action="https://earthhow.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=tnp&na=s" method="post" style="text-align: center"><input type="hidden" name="nr" value="minimal"> <input type="hidden" name="nlang" value=""> <input class="tnp-email" type="email" required name="ne" value="" placeholder="Email"><input class="tnp-submit" type="submit" value="Subscribe" style=""> </form></div></div><div class="kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id18750_45f50e-c9 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout"><div class="kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top"> <div class="wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18750_dbe7c4-7f kvs-sm-false kb-section-dir-horizontal"><div class="kt-inside-inner-col"><div class="wp-block-kadence-posts kb-posts kb-posts-id-18750_1e09ed-10 content-wrap grid-cols kb-posts-style-unboxed grid-sm-col-2 grid-lg-col-3 item-image-style-above"><article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-3438 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-plate-tectonics mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/antarctic-plate/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="Antarctic Plate Tectonics" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Antarctica-Plate-Tectonics-Feature-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/antarctic-plate/" rel="bookmark">Antarctic Plate: The Drifting Continent of Antarctica</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article> <article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-2752 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-plate-tectonics mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/divergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Divergent-Plate-Tectonics-Type-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="Divergent Plate Tectonics Type" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Divergent-Plate-Tectonics-Type-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Divergent-Plate-Tectonics-Type-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Divergent-Plate-Tectonics-Type-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Divergent-Plate-Tectonics-Type-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Divergent-Plate-Tectonics-Type-267x200.png 267w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Divergent-Plate-Tectonics-Type.png 678w" sizes="(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/divergent-plate-boundaries-tectonics/" rel="bookmark">Divergent Plate Tectonics: Boundaries that Pull Apart</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article> <article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-1165 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-milestone-events mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/vaalbara-first-supercontinent/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="Vaalbara First Continent" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Vaalbara-First-Continent-0-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/vaalbara-first-supercontinent/" rel="bookmark">Is Vaalbara Earth’s First Supercontinent?</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article> <article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-42 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geologic-timeline category-geology mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/earth-geological-time-scale/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="Earth Geological Time Scale" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Geologic-Time-Scale-Feature-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/earth-geological-time-scale/" rel="bookmark">What is Earth’s Geological Time Scale?</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article> <article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-878 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geologic-timeline category-geology tag-feature mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/hadean-eon/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hadean-Eon-Timeline-Dark-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="Hadean Eon Timeline" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hadean-Eon-Timeline-Dark-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hadean-Eon-Timeline-Dark-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hadean-Eon-Timeline-Dark-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hadean-Eon-Timeline-Dark-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hadean-Eon-Timeline-Dark.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hadean-Eon-Timeline-Dark-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hadean-Eon-Timeline-Dark-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hadean-Eon-Timeline-Dark-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/hadean-eon/" rel="bookmark">Hadean Eon: The Formation of Earth (4.6 to 4.0 billion years ago)</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article> <article class="entry content-bg loop-entry post-2446 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-rock-and-minerals mv-content-wrapper"> <a class="post-thumbnail kadence-thumbnail-ratio-2-3" href="https://earthhow.com/rock-cycle/"> <div class="post-thumbnail-inner"> <img width="425" height="319" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rock-Cycle-425x319.png" class="attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-post-image" alt="rock cycle" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rock-Cycle-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rock-Cycle-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rock-Cycle-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rock-Cycle-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rock-Cycle.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rock-Cycle-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rock-Cycle-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Rock-Cycle-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px"/></div></a> <div class="entry-content-wrap"> <header class="entry-header"> <h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/rock-cycle/" rel="bookmark">How the Rock Cycle Recycles Earth’s Crust</a></h6></header> <footer class="entry-footer"> </footer></div></article></div></div></div></div></div><div class="kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id18750_53f941-1d alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout"><div class="kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-1-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top"> <div class="wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18750_83b326-a1 kvs-lg-false kvs-md-false kb-section-dir-vertical"><div class="kt-inside-inner-col"><div class="wp-block-kadence-postgrid kt-blocks-post-loop-block alignnone kt-post-loop18750_b649c9-02 kt-post-grid-layout-grid"><div class="kt-post-grid-layout-grid-wrap kt-post-grid-wrap" data-columns-xxl="2" data-columns-xl="2" data-columns-md="2" data-columns-sm="2" data-columns-xs="1" data-columns-ss="1"data-item-selector=".kt-post-masonry-item"><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-2431 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-inside-earth mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/radioactive-decay-isotopes/" aria-label="Read More What is Radioactive Decay Inside Earth?" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Radioactive-Decay-Feature-1-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Radioactive Decay" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Radioactive-Decay-Feature-1-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Radioactive-Decay-Feature-1-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Radioactive-Decay-Feature-1-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Radioactive-Decay-Feature-1-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Radioactive-Decay-Feature-1.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Radioactive-Decay-Feature-1-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Radioactive-Decay-Feature-1-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Radioactive-Decay-Feature-1-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/radioactive-decay-isotopes/">What is Radioactive Decay Inside Earth?</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-9252 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-volcanoes tag-feature mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/cinder-cone/" aria-label="Read More What is a Cinder Cone Volcano (Scoria Cone)?" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="160" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Cinder-Cone-Volcanoes-Feature-300x160.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Cinder Cone Volcanoes Feature" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Cinder-Cone-Volcanoes-Feature-300x160.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Cinder-Cone-Volcanoes-Feature-675x361.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Cinder-Cone-Volcanoes-Feature-768x411.png 768w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Cinder-Cone-Volcanoes-Feature.png 948w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/cinder-cone/">What is a Cinder Cone Volcano (Scoria Cone)?</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-1142 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-milestone-events tag-feature mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/great-oxygenation-event/" aria-label="Read More Great Oxygenation Event: How Oxygen Filled the Atmosphere" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Great-Oxygenation-Event-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Great Oxygenation Event" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Great-Oxygenation-Event-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Great-Oxygenation-Event-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Great-Oxygenation-Event-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Great-Oxygenation-Event-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Great-Oxygenation-Event.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Great-Oxygenation-Event-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Great-Oxygenation-Event-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Great-Oxygenation-Event-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/great-oxygenation-event/">Great Oxygenation Event: How Oxygen Filled the Atmosphere</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-12034 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-weathering-erosion-and-soils mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/pedosphere/" aria-label="Read More The Pedosphere: Soil on Earth" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pedosphere-Feature-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Pedosphere" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pedosphere-Feature-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pedosphere-Feature-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pedosphere-Feature-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pedosphere-Feature-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pedosphere-Feature.png 678w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/pedosphere/">The Pedosphere: Soil on Earth</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-1200 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-weathering-erosion-and-soils mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/chemical-weathering/" aria-label="Read More Chemical Weathering: Hydrolysis, Oxidation and Acidic Reactions" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Chemical-Weathering-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Chemical Weathering" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Chemical-Weathering-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Chemical-Weathering-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Chemical-Weathering-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Chemical-Weathering-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Chemical-Weathering.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Chemical-Weathering-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Chemical-Weathering-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Chemical-Weathering-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/chemical-weathering/">Chemical Weathering: Hydrolysis, Oxidation and Acidic Reactions</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-2590 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-land-surface mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/isostatic-rebound-glacial-depression/" aria-label="Read More What is Isostatic Rebound?" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Glacial-Rebound-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="isostatic rebound" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Glacial-Rebound-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Glacial-Rebound-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Glacial-Rebound-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Glacial-Rebound-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Glacial-Rebound.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Glacial-Rebound-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Glacial-Rebound-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Glacial-Rebound-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/isostatic-rebound-glacial-depression/">What is Isostatic Rebound?</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-2450 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-rock-and-minerals mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/metamorphic-rocks/" aria-label="Read More Metamorphic Rocks: Heat, Pressure and Metamorphism" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Metamorphic-Rocks-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Metamorphic Rocks" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Metamorphic-Rocks-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Metamorphic-Rocks-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Metamorphic-Rocks-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Metamorphic-Rocks-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Metamorphic-Rocks.png 678w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Metamorphic-Rocks-326x245.png 326w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Metamorphic-Rocks-80x60.png 80w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Metamorphic-Rocks-267x200.png 267w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/metamorphic-rocks/">Metamorphic Rocks: Heat, Pressure and Metamorphism</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article><article class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item post-9211 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-geology category-volcanoes tag-feature mv-content-wrapper"><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner-wrap kt-feat-image-align-left kt-feat-image-mobile-align-side"><div class="kadence-post-image"><div class="kadence-post-image-intrisic kt-image-ratio-66-67" style="padding-bottom:66.67%;"><div class="kadence-post-image-inner-intrisic"><a href="https://earthhow.com/stratovolcano/" aria-label="Read More What is a Stratovolcano (Composite Cone)?" class="kadence-post-image-inner-wrap"><img width="300" height="225" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/stratovolcano-feature-300x225.png" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="stratovolcano" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/stratovolcano-feature-300x225.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/stratovolcano-feature-675x507.png 675w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/stratovolcano-feature-425x319.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/stratovolcano-feature-550x413.png 550w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/stratovolcano-feature.png 678w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></a></div></div></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-grid-item-inner"><header><h6 class="entry-title"><a href="https://earthhow.com/stratovolcano/">What is a Stratovolcano (Composite Cone)?</a></h6><div class="kt-blocks-post-top-meta"></div></header><div class="entry-content"></div><footer class="kt-blocks-post-footer"><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-left"></div><div class="kt-blocks-post-footer-right"></div></footer></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></article> <div id="comments" class="comments-area"> <h2 class="comments-title">6 Comments</h2> <ol class="comment-list"> <li id="comment-35330" class="comment byuser comment-author-earthhow bypostauthor even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-35330" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">earthhow</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#comment-35330"><time datetime="2024-06-06T17:58:06-06:00">June 6, 2024 at 5:58 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>The African Plate and the South American Plate are moving away from each other at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge…. So, this mean that the land between them doesn’t get pushed together… instead, it forms new oceanic crust at the ridge because magma rises up and solidifies, causing the plates to move apart.</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-35012" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-35012" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Jamie</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#comment-35012"><time datetime="2024-06-01T06:39:31-06:00">June 1, 2024 at 6:39 am</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>How will the interaction between the African Plate and the South American Plate transpire? You have two spreading centers pushing land towards each other. Where does this land in between go?</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-20134" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-20134" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Tony O'Byrne</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#comment-20134"><time datetime="2023-02-19T19:32:47-06:00">February 19, 2023 at 7:32 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>What about the rift valleys of the Arabian plate? Are they formed at the same time as those of East Africa?</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-10099" class="comment byuser comment-author-earthhow bypostauthor odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-10099" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">earthhow</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#comment-10099"><time datetime="2021-11-29T15:02:50-06:00">November 29, 2021 at 3:02 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>The general consensus for the cause of Permian-Triassic mass extinction is from severe volcanic activity, environmental change, long-term methane release. </p> <p>Here’s a bit more info on the 5 big extinction events. <a href="https://earthhow.com/mass-extinctions/" rel="ugc">https://earthhow.com/mass-extinctions/</a></p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-10071" class="comment even thread-even depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-10071" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Stuart May</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#comment-10071"><time datetime="2021-11-27T06:06:05-06:00">November 27, 2021 at 6:06 am</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>Was it the coming together of Pangea that caused the Permian-Triassic mass extinction?</p></div></article> </li> <li id="comment-8392" class="comment odd alt thread-odd thread-alt depth-1"> <article id="div-comment-8392" class="comment-body"> <footer class="comment-meta"> <div class="comment-author vcard"> <b class="fn">Carol Cohen</b> <span class="says">says:</span></div><div class="comment-metadata"> <a href="https://earthhow.com/african-plate/#comment-8392"><time datetime="2021-06-26T17:23:20-06:00">June 26, 2021 at 5:23 pm</time></a></div></footer> <div class="comment-content"> <p>We would love audio Geology lectures. Preferably about our Permian time and Pangea and the rift valleys</p></div></article> </li> </ol> <div id="respond" class="comment-respond"> <h3 id="reply-title" class="comment-reply-title">Leave a Reply</h3><form action="https://earthhow.com/wp-comments-post.php" method="post" id="commentform" class="comment-form" novalidate><p class="comment-notes"><span id="email-notes">Your email address will not be published.</span> <span class="required-field-message">Required fields are marked <span class="required">*</span></span></p><p class="comment-form-comment comment-form-float-label"><textarea autocomplete="new-password" id="i477054932" name="i477054932" placeholder="Leave a comment..." cols="45" rows="8" maxlength="65525" aria-required="true" required="required"></textarea><textarea id="comment" aria-label="hp-comment" aria-hidden="true" name="comment" autocomplete="new-password" style="padding:0 !important;clip:rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px) !important;position:absolute !important;white-space:nowrap !important;height:1px !important;width:1px !important;overflow:hidden !important;" tabindex="-1"></textarea><label class="float-label" for="comment">Comment <span class="required">*</span></label></p><div class="comment-input-wrap no-url-field"><p class="comment-form-author"><input aria-label="Name" id="author" name="author" type="text" placeholder="John Doe" value="" size="30" maxlength="245" aria-required='true' required='required' /><label class="float-label" for="author">Name <span class="required">*</span></label></p> <p class="comment-form-email"><input aria-label="Email" id="email" name="email" type="email" placeholder="john@example.com" value="" size="30" maxlength="100" aria-describedby="email-notes" aria-required='true' required='required' /><label class="float-label" for="email">Email <span class="required">*</span></label></p></div><p class="form-submit"><input name="submit" type="submit" id="submit" class="submit" value="Post Comment" /> <input type='hidden' name='comment_post_ID' value='3435' id='comment_post_ID' /> <input type='hidden' name='comment_parent' id='comment_parent' value='0' /> </p></form></div></div></div></main> <aside id="secondary" role="complementary" class="primary-sidebar widget-area sidebar-slug-sidebar-primary sidebar-link-style-normal"> <div class="sidebar-inner-wrap"></div></aside></div></div></div><footer id="colophon" class="site-footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="site-footer-wrap"> <div class="site-top-footer-wrap site-footer-row-container site-footer-focus-item site-footer-row-layout-standard site-footer-row-tablet-layout-default site-footer-row-mobile-layout-default" data-section="kadence_customizer_footer_top"> <div class="site-footer-row-container-inner"> <div class="site-container"> <div class="site-top-footer-inner-wrap site-footer-row site-footer-row-columns-3 site-footer-row-column-layout-left-half site-footer-row-tablet-column-layout-left-half site-footer-row-mobile-column-layout-row ft-ro-dir-row ft-ro-collapse-normal ft-ro-t-dir-column ft-ro-m-dir-default ft-ro-lstyle-plain"> <div class="site-footer-top-section-1 site-footer-section footer-section-inner-items-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area widget-area site-footer-focus-item footer-widget3 content-align-default content-tablet-align-default content-mobile-align-default content-valign-default content-tablet-valign-default content-mobile-valign-default" data-section="sidebar-widgets-footer3"> <div class="footer-widget-area-inner site-info-inner"> <section id="text-8" class="widget widget_text"> <div class="textwidget"><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-16201" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Black-Logo-300x54.png" alt="EarthHow Logo" width="300" height="54" srcset="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Black-Logo-300x54.png 300w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Black-Logo-425x77.png 425w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Black-Logo-140x25.png 140w, https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/EarthHow-Black-Logo.png 491w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px"/></p></div></section><section id="custom_html-13" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget">Learn Earth Science <div style="clear:both; padding-bottom:10px;"></div></div></section><section id="custom_html-7" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget"><a href="https://twitter.com/earth_how"><img class="aligncenter size-small_medium wp-image-15255" style="float:left; padding-right: 25px;" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/twitter-107x107.png" alt="" width="60" height="60"/></a><img class="alignleft size-small_medium wp-image-15256" src="https://earthhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/rss-107x107.png" alt="" width="35" height="35"/></div></section></div></div></div><div class="site-footer-top-section-2 site-footer-section footer-section-inner-items-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area widget-area site-footer-focus-item footer-widget1 content-align-left content-tablet-align-default content-mobile-align-default content-valign-default content-tablet-valign-default content-mobile-valign-default" data-section="sidebar-widgets-footer1"> <div class="footer-widget-area-inner site-info-inner"> <section id="custom_html-4" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><h2 class="widget-title">CATEGORIES</h2><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget"><ul style="margin-left:0px;"> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/atmosphere/">Atmosphere</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/career/">Career</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/geology/">Geology</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/life-science/">Nature</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/outer-space/">Space</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/category/water-science/">Water</a></li> </ul></div></section></div></div></div><div class="site-footer-top-section-3 site-footer-section footer-section-inner-items-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area widget-area site-footer-focus-item footer-widget2 content-align-default content-tablet-align-default content-mobile-align-default content-valign-default content-tablet-valign-default content-mobile-valign-default" data-section="sidebar-widgets-footer2"> <div class="footer-widget-area-inner site-info-inner"> <section id="custom_html-5" class="widget_text widget widget_custom_html"><h2 class="widget-title">Features</h2><div class="textwidget custom-html-widget"><ul style="margin-left:0px;"> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/articles/">Articles</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/tag/infographic/">Infographics</a></li> <li><a href="https://earthhow.com/newsletter/">Newsletter</a></li> </ul></div></section></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="site-middle-footer-wrap site-footer-row-container site-footer-focus-item site-footer-row-layout-standard site-footer-row-tablet-layout-default site-footer-row-mobile-layout-default" data-section="kadence_customizer_footer_middle"> <div class="site-footer-row-container-inner"> <div class="site-container"> <div class="site-middle-footer-inner-wrap site-footer-row site-footer-row-columns-1 site-footer-row-column-layout-row site-footer-row-tablet-column-layout-default site-footer-row-mobile-column-layout-row ft-ro-dir-row ft-ro-collapse-normal ft-ro-t-dir-default ft-ro-m-dir-default ft-ro-lstyle-plain"> <div class="site-footer-middle-section-1 site-footer-section footer-section-inner-items-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area widget-area site-footer-focus-item footer-navigation-wrap content-align-center content-tablet-align-center content-mobile-align-default content-valign-default content-tablet-valign-default content-mobile-valign-default footer-navigation-layout-stretch-false" data-section="kadence_customizer_footer_navigation"> <div class="footer-widget-area-inner footer-navigation-inner"> <nav id="footer-navigation" class="footer-navigation" role="navigation" aria-label="Footer Navigation"> <div class="footer-menu-container"> <ul id="footer-menu" class="menu"><li id="menu-item-15577" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15577"><a href="https://earthhow.com/about/">About</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15574" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page current_page_parent menu-item-15574"><a href="https://earthhow.com/articles/">Articles</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15578" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15578"><a href="https://earthhow.com/contact/">Contact</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15579" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15579"><a href="https://earthhow.com/how-to-cite/">How To Cite</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15575" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15575"><a href="https://earthhow.com/privacy-policy/">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li id="menu-item-15576" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15576"><a href="https://earthhow.com/terms-of-service/">Terms of Service</a></li> </ul></div></nav></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="site-bottom-footer-wrap site-footer-row-container site-footer-focus-item site-footer-row-layout-standard site-footer-row-tablet-layout-default site-footer-row-mobile-layout-default" data-section="kadence_customizer_footer_bottom"> <div class="site-footer-row-container-inner"> <div class="site-container"> <div class="site-bottom-footer-inner-wrap site-footer-row site-footer-row-columns-1 site-footer-row-column-layout-row site-footer-row-tablet-column-layout-default site-footer-row-mobile-column-layout-row ft-ro-dir-row ft-ro-collapse-normal ft-ro-t-dir-default ft-ro-m-dir-default ft-ro-lstyle-plain"> <div class="site-footer-bottom-section-1 site-footer-section footer-section-inner-items-1"> <div class="footer-widget-area site-info site-footer-focus-item content-align-center content-tablet-align-center content-mobile-align-default content-valign-default content-tablet-valign-default content-mobile-valign-default" data-section="kadence_customizer_footer_html"> <div class="footer-widget-area-inner site-info-inner"> <div class="footer-html inner-link-style-plain"><div class="footer-html-inner"><p><span class="customize-control-description">© 2024 Earth How</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></footer></div><div id="mobile-drawer" class="popup-drawer popup-drawer-layout-sidepanel popup-drawer-animation-fade popup-drawer-side-left" data-drawer-target-string="#mobile-drawer"> <div class="drawer-overlay" data-drawer-target-string="#mobile-drawer"></div><div class="drawer-inner"> <div class="drawer-header"> <button class="menu-toggle-close drawer-toggle" aria-label="Close menu" data-toggle-target="#mobile-drawer" data-toggle-body-class="showing-popup-drawer-from-left" aria-expanded="false" data-set-focus=".menu-toggle-open" > <span class="toggle-close-bar"></span> <span class="toggle-close-bar"></span> </button></div><div class="drawer-content mobile-drawer-content content-align-left content-valign-top"> <div class="site-header-item site-header-focus-item site-header-item-mobile-navigation mobile-navigation-layout-stretch-false" data-section="kadence_customizer_mobile_navigation"> <nav id="mobile-site-navigation" class="mobile-navigation drawer-navigation drawer-navigation-parent-toggle-false" role="navigation" aria-label="Primary Mobile Navigation"> <div class="mobile-menu-container drawer-menu-container"> <ul id="mobile-menu" class="menu has-collapse-sub-nav"><li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17132"><a href="https://earthhow.com/atmosphere/">Atmosphere</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17131"><a href="https://earthhow.com/biology/">Biology</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17130"><a href="https://earthhow.com/career/">Career</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17129"><a href="https://earthhow.com/geology/">Geology</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17128"><a href="https://earthhow.com/space/">Space</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-17127"><a href="https://earthhow.com/water/">Water</a></li> </ul></div></nav></div></div></div></div><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//earthhow.com/wp-content/cache/wpfc-minified/20wy7k05/445gh.css" media="all"/> <div id="search-drawer" class="popup-drawer popup-drawer-layout-fullwidth" data-drawer-target-string="#search-drawer"> <div class="drawer-overlay" data-drawer-target-string="#search-drawer"></div><div class="drawer-inner"> <div class="drawer-header"> <button class="search-toggle-close drawer-toggle" aria-label="Close search" data-toggle-target="#search-drawer" data-toggle-body-class="showing-popup-drawer-from-full" aria-expanded="false" data-set-focus=".search-toggle-open" > <span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-close-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><title>Toggle Menu Close</title><path d="M5.293 6.707l5.293 5.293-5.293 5.293c-0.391 0.391-0.391 1.024 0 1.414s1.024 0.391 1.414 0l5.293-5.293 5.293 5.293c0.391 0.391 1.024 0.391 1.414 0s0.391-1.024 0-1.414l-5.293-5.293 5.293-5.293c0.391-0.391 0.391-1.024 0-1.414s-1.024-0.391-1.414 0l-5.293 5.293-5.293-5.293c-0.391-0.391-1.024-0.391-1.414 0s-0.391 1.024 0 1.414z"></path> </svg></span> </button></div><div class="drawer-content"> <form role="search" method="get" class="search-form" action="https://earthhow.com/"> <label> <span class="screen-reader-text">Search for:</span> <input type="search" class="search-field" placeholder="Search …" value="" name="s" /> </label> <input type="submit" class="search-submit" value="Search" /> <div class="kadence-search-icon-wrap"><span class="kadence-svg-iconset"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="kadence-svg-icon kadence-search-svg" fill="currentColor" version="1.1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="26" height="28" viewBox="0 0 26 28"><title>Search</title><path d="M18 13c0-3.859-3.141-7-7-7s-7 3.141-7 7 3.141 7 7 7 7-3.141 7-7zM26 26c0 1.094-0.906 2-2 2-0.531 0-1.047-0.219-1.406-0.594l-5.359-5.344c-1.828 1.266-4.016 1.937-6.234 1.937-6.078 0-11-4.922-11-11s4.922-11 11-11 11 4.922 11 11c0 2.219-0.672 4.406-1.937 6.234l5.359 5.359c0.359 0.359 0.578 0.875 0.578 1.406z"></path> </svg></span></div></form></div></div></div><noscript id="wpfc-google-fonts"><link rel='stylesheet' id='kadence-fonts-css' href='https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Inter:regular,800,700,600&display=swap' media='all'/> </noscript> <script id="kadence-navigation-js-extra">var kadenceConfig={"screenReader":{"expand":"Child menu","expandOf":"Child menu of","collapse":"Child menu","collapseOf":"Child menu of"},"breakPoints":{"desktop":"1024","tablet":768},"scrollOffset":"0"};</script> <script>document.documentElement.classList.remove('no-js');</script> <script data-noptimize>document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute("id", "a77a6e2c6179bbf6d48b1bccd93d9613");document.getElementById("i477054932").setAttribute("id", "comment");</script> <script>document.documentElement.style.setProperty('--scrollbar-offset', window.innerWidth - document.documentElement.clientWidth + 'px');</script> <script defer src='//earthhow.com/wp-content/cache/wpfc-minified/13nwc9nw/445g5.js'></script> <script>document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',function(){function wpfcgl(){var wgh=document.querySelector('noscript#wpfc-google-fonts').innerText, wgha=wgh.match(/<link[^\>]+>/gi);for(i=0;i<wgha.length;i++){var wrpr=document.createElement('div');wrpr.innerHTML=wgha[i];document.body.appendChild(wrpr.firstChild);}}wpfcgl();});</script> </body> </html>