Evolution of the northern Main Ethiopian rift: Birth of a triple junction

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

Volumn 224, Issue 1-2, 2004, Pages 213-228

  Wolfenden, Ellen ^a   Ebinger, Cynthia ^a   Yirgu, Gezahegn ^b   Deino, Alan ^c   Ayalew, Dereje ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF LONDON   (United Kingdom)

^b ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY   (Ethiopia)

^c BERKELEY GEOCHRONOLOGY CENTER   (United States)

Author keywords

Ethiopian rift; Flood basalts; Red Sea; Rift; Triple junction

Indexed keywords

FLOOD BASALT; MIOCENE; OLIGOCENE; RIFTING; TECTONIC EVOLUTION; TRIPLE JUNCTION;

AFRICA; EAST AFRICAN RIFT; ETHIOPIAN RIFT; SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA;

EID: 3242697220     PISSN: 0012821X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2004.04.022     Document Type: Article

References (45)

1. Hayward N. Ebinger C. Variations in along-axis segmentation of the Afar rift system Tectonics 15 1996 244-257
2. Manighetti I. Tapponnier P. Courtillot V. Gruszow S. Gillot P.-Y. Propagation of rifting along the Arabia-Somalia plate boundary: the gulfs of Aden and Tadjoura J. Geophys. Res. 102 1997 2681
3. WoldeGabriel G. White T. Suwa G. Renne P. de Heinzelin J. Hart W. Heiken G. Ecological and temporal placement of early Pliocene hominids at Aramis, Ethiopia Nature 371 1994 330-333
4. McKenzie D.P. Davies D. Molnar P. Plate tectonics of the Red Sea and East Africa Nature 224 1972 125-133
5. Tesfaye S. Kusky T.T. Harding D. Early Continental breakup boundary and migration of the Afar triple junction, Ethiopia Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 115 2003 1053-1067
6. Eagles G. Gloaguen R. Ebinger C. Kinematics of the Danakil microplate Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 203 2002 607-620
7. WoldeGabriel G. Aronson J. Walter R. Geology, geochronology, and rift basin development in the central sector of the Main Ethiopian rift Geol. Soc. Am. Bull. 102 1990 439-458
8. Chernet T. Hart W. Aronson J. Walter R.C. New age constraints on the timing of volcanism and tectonism in the northern Main Ethiopian Rift-southern Afar transition zone (Ethiopia) J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 80 1998 267-280
9. Schilling J.-G. Kingsley R. Hanan B. McCully B. Nd-Sr-Pb isotopic variations along the Gulf of Aden: evidence for Afar mantle plume-continental lithosphere interaction J. Geophys. Res. 97 1992 10927-10966
10. Ebinger C. Sleep N. Cenozoic magmatism throughout E Africa resulting from impact of a single plume Nature 395 1998 788
11. Hofmann C. Courtillot V. Feraud G. Rochette P. Yirgu G. Ketefo E. Pik R. Timing of the Ethiopian flood basalt event: implications for plume birth and global change Nature 389 1997 838-841
12. Baker J. Snee L. Menzies M. A brief Oligocene period of flood volcanism in Yemen Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 138 1996 39-55
13. 39Ar chrono-stratigraphy of pre- and syn-rift bimodal flood volcanism in Ethiopia and Yemen Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 198 2002 289-306
14. Wolfenden E. Ebinger C. Yirgu G. Renne P. Kelley S.P. Evolution of the southern Red Sea rift: birth of a magmatic margin Geol. Soc. Am. Bulletin 2004
15. Watchorn F. Nichols G. Bosence D. Rift-related sedimentation and stratigraphy, southern Yemen (Gulf of Aden) Purser B. Bosence D. Sedimentation and Tectonics of Rift Basins 1998 165-189 Chapman - Hall London
16. Ebinger C. Yemane T. Harding D. Tesfaye S. Rex D. Kelley S. Rift deflection, migration, and propagation: linkage of the Ethiopian and Eastern rifts Africa Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull 102 2000 163-176
17. D'Acremont, E., De la déchirure continentale à l'accretion oceanique: Ouverture du Golfe d'Aden, thesis, Université de Paris VI, 2002, pp.
18. Cochran J. Martinez F. Evidence from the northern Red Sea on the transition from continental to oceanic rifting Tectonophysics 153 1988 25-53
19. Acton G. Tessema A. Jackson M. Bilham R. The tectonic and geomagnetic significance of paleomagnetic observations from volcanic rocks of central Afar Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 180 2000 225-241
20. Kidane T. New paleomagnetic results from Ethiopian Afar: determination of a ∼2 Ma reference pole for stable Africa J. Geophys. Res. 107 2003
21. Manighetti I. Tapponnier P. Courtillot V. Gallet Y. Jacques E. Gillot P.-Y. Strain transfer between disconnected, propagating rifts in Afar J. Geophys. Res. 106 2001 13613-13665
22. Sichler B. La bielette danakile: une modele pour l'evolution geodynamique de l'Afar Bull. Soc. Geol. Fr. 22 1980 925-933
23. Souriot T. Brun J.-P. Faulting and block rotation in the Afar triangle, East Africa: the Danakil crank-arm model Geology 20 1992 911-924
24. Bilham R. Bendick R. Larson K. Braun J. Tesfaye S. Mohr P. Asfaw L. Secular and tidal strain across the Ethiopian rift Geophys. Res. Lett. 27 1999 2789-2984
25. Boccaletti M. Mazzuoli R. Bonini M. Trua T. Abebe B. Plio-Quaternary volcanotectonic activity in the northern sector of the Main Ethiopian rift: relationships with oblique rifting J. Afr. Earth Sci. 29 1999 679-698
26. Ebinger C.J. Casey M. Continental breakup in magmatic provinces: an Ethiopian example Geology 29 2001 527-530
27. Maguire P. Geophysical project in Ethiopia studies continental breakup Eos, Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union 84 2003 337-340
28. Mahatsente R. Jentzsch G. Jahr T. Crustal structure of the Main Ethiopian rift from gravity data: 3-dimensional modelling Tectonophysics 313 1999 363-382
29. 40Ar dating Chem. Geol. 145 1998 117-152
30. 39Ar age calibration of the litho and paleomagnetic stratigraphies of the Ngorora formation, Kenya J. Geol. 98 1990 567-587
31. Ar age calibration of the Olorgesailie Formation, Kenya. J. Geophys. Res. 95 (199) 8453-8470.
32. S. Berhe, V. Kazmin, Nazret sheet NC37-15: Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Institute of Geological Surveys, scale 1:250,000 (1978).
33. George, R. Thermal and tectonic controls on magmatism in the Ethiopian province, thesis, Open University, Milton Keynes, 1997, pp.
34. Jones P. Age of the lower flood basalts of the Ethiopian plateau Nature 261 1976 567-569
35. Morton W. Rex D. Mitchell J. Mohr P. Riftward younging of volcanic units in the Addis Ababa region, Ethiopian rift valley Nature 280 1979 284-288
36. Morbidelli L. Nicoletti M. Petrucciani C. Piccirillo E. Ethiopian southeastern plateau and related escarpment: K/Ar ages of the main volcanic events Pilger A. Rösler A. Afar Between Continental and Oceanic Rifting 1975 362-370 Schweizerbart Stuttgart
37. Pik R. Marty B. Carignan J. Lave J. Stability of the Upper Nile drainage network (Ethiopia) deduced from (U-Th)/He thermochronometry: implications for uplift and erosion of the Afar plume dome Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 215 2003 73-88
38. Bellahsen N. Faccenna C. Funiciello F. Daniel J.M. Jolivet L. Why did Arabia separate from Africa? Insights from 3-D laboratory experiments Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 216 2003 365-381
39. Morley C.K. Wescott W.A. Stone W.A. Harper D.M. Wigger R.M. Karanja F. Tectonic evolution of the northern Kenya rift J. Geol. Soc. (Lond.) 149 1992 333-348
40. Buck R. Lavier L. Poliakov A.N.B. How to make a rift wide Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond., A 357 1999 671-693
41. Calais E. DeMets C. Nocquet J.-M. Evidence for post-3.16 Ma change in Nubia-Eurasia-North America plate motions Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 216 2003 81-92
42. Lemaux J. Gordon R.G. Royer J.-Y. Location of the Nubia-Somalia boundary along the Southwest Indian Ridge Geology 30 2002 339-342
43. Wolde B. Spatial and temporal variations in the compositions of Upper Miocene to Recent basic lavas in the northern Main Ethiopian rift: implications for the causes of Cenozoic magmatism in Ethiopia Geol. Rundsch. 85 1996 380-389
44. E. Wolfenden, Evolution of the Southern Red Sea Rift: Birth of a magmatic margin. Thesis, Royal Holloway, University of London, 2003, pp.
45. McClusky T. Reilinger R. Mahmoud S. Ben Sari D. Tealeb A. GPS constraints on Africa (Nubia) and Arabia plate motions Geophys. J. Int. 155 2003 126-138