圖文閱讀:The East African Rift Valley(觸摸地球的傷疤)
In geology, fracture in the earth's crust in which the rock on one side of the fracture has measurable movement in relation to the rock on the other side. Faults on other planets and satellites of the solar system also have been recognized. Evidence of faults are found either at the surface (fault surface) or underground (fault plane).
在地質學中，地殼岩石斷裂的一邊以可測量的移動到岩石的另一邊。這是由於太陽系總其他行星和衛星發生故障.斷裂明顯的特徵顯示在斷裂表層以及裏層
It extends 3,000 mi (4,830 km) from N Syria to central Mozambique. The northernmost extension runs through Syria and Lebanon, the Jordan valley, the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba. It continues into the trough of the Red Sea and at the southern end branches into the Gulf of Aden, where it continues as part of the Mid-Oceanic Ridge of the Indian Ocean.
它從敘利亞延伸3000米(4830公里)到莫桑比克中部. 最北穿過敘利亞和黎巴嫩，越過約旦河谷、死海和亞喀巴灣. 它繼續深入穿越紅海最南的山脈延伸到了亞丁灣,作爲印度洋中心橋樑的重要一部分.
The main section of the valley in Africa continues from the Red Sea across Ethiopia and across Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi to the lower Zambezi River valley in Mozambique. Many small Lakes in Ethiopia and several long narrow lakes, notably lakes Turkana and Nyasa, lie on its course. Just N of Lake Nyasa there is a western branch, which runs north, chiefly along the eastern border of Congo (Kinshasa); this branch is marked by a chain of lakes, including lakes Tanganyika, Kivu, Edward, and Albert (Mobutu).
大峽谷的主體部分來自非洲，延伸自紅海穿過埃塞俄比亞，橫跨兩岸的肯尼亞、坦桑尼亞、馬拉維到莫桑比克的贊比西河流域下游. 埃塞俄比亞的許多湖泊和幾個狹長的小湖泊,尤其是圖爾卡納湖和尼亞薩湖. 剛好尼亞薩湖的有一個西部分流向北流，主要沿着剛果的東部邊界（金沙薩）；這條分支連接了許多湖泊包括了坦噶尼喀湖、基伍湖、愛德華湖、艾伯特湖(蒙博託).
Lake Victoria does not lie in the Great Rift Valley but between its main and western branches. The Great Rift Valley ranges in elevation from 1,300 ft (395 m) below sea level (the Dead Sea) to 6,000 ft (1,830 m) above sea level in S Kenya. Erosion has concealed some sections, but in places, notably in Kenya, there are sheer cliffs several thousand feet high. The present configuration of the rift, which dates from the mid-Pleistocene epoch, is probably a result of a rifting process associated with thermal currents in the earth's mantle elongated depression, trough, or graben in the earth's crust, bounded on both sides by normal faults and occurring on the continents or under the oceans. The central flat block forming the trough slips downward relative to the crustal blocks on either side. The appearance is that of a fallen keystone in a broken arch. There is evidence of earlier rift structures.
維多利亞湖不列於大裂谷，但是位於大裂谷主要的山脈及西部分支。大裂谷的範圍從海拔從海面以下(死海)1300英尺(395米)到海平面以上6000英尺(1830米)肯尼亞南部的海平面. 部分區域的腐蝕被隱藏起來,但在有些地方,特別是在肯尼亞,有數千英尺高的懸崖. 目前的斷裂結構,顯示來自中世紀,也許是由於斷裂的過程中與熱氣流在地球地幔被低壓延伸到地殼地塹中,位於斷層的兩側正常斷裂並且斷裂發在陸地或者海洋.中心的平地阻止了滑槽向地殼的兩邊下降. 外貌看起來是由倒下的拱形石破裂成拱形.這顯示了早期的裂痕結構.
有許多人在沒有見東非大裂谷之前，憑他們的想象認爲，那裏一定是一條狹長、黑暗、陰森、恐怖的斷澗深，其間荒草漫漫，怪石嶙峋，涉無人煙。其實，當你來到裂谷之處，展現在眼前的完全是另外一番景象：遠處，茂密的原始森林覆蓋着宮綿的羣峯，山坡上長滿了盛開着的紫紅色、淡黃色花朵的仙人濱、仙人球，近處，草原廣袤，翠綠的灌木叢散落其間，野草青青，花香陣陣，草原深處的幾處湖水波光閃，山水之間，白去飄蕩。裂谷底部，平平整整，坦坦蕩蕩，牧草豐美，林木蔥蘢，生機盎然。
東非大裂谷地區的這一系列考古發現證明，昔日被西方殖民主義者說成的"野蠻、貧窮、落後的非洲"，實際上是人類文明的搖籃之一，是一塊擁有光輝燦爛古代文明的土地
