rifting

From Mountains to Oceans: How the memory of ancient orogens guides the rupture of continents

Kai Li and edited by Pauline Gayrin October 15, 2025

Picture showing an orogen that transform in a rift

Modified from François et al., 2022.

In this new blog, Dr. Kai Li (GFZ Potsdam) talk about his PhD work, where he used accordion numerical models to explore the tectonic history of the South China Sea. His PhD research focuses on the impact of orogenic inheritance on rifts and rifted margins, employing advanced geodynamic modeling techniques. Have you ever tried to fit the west coast of Africa and the east coast of South America toge ...[Read More]

Unraveling volcanic patterns between adjacent rift zones

Valentina Armeni and edited by Lorenzo Mantiloni July 16, 2025

The Sleeping Warrior volcano, located near Lake Elementaita in the Kenya Rift (East African Rift System). Its profile, shaped by erosion and tectonic activity, resembles a sleeping Maasai warrior, which is why it got its name.

Continental rifts are a prime example of how the forces at work beneath our feet are constantly shaping our world, and often host volcanic activity. The patterns and distribution of volcanism in rift settings, however, is far from intuitive. The picture gets even more complicated if we look between the segments that often make up a rift. This week, Valentina Armeni from the University of Potsdam, ...[Read More]

Travel log – The Kenya rift

Editorial team 1 May 1, 2019

View from Subukia viewpoint into the rift valley with the opposite rift shoulders in the background. Pencil for scale. Courtesy of Corinna Kallich, Potsdam University.

A little over a year ago, I was lucky enough to join a field trip to the Kenya rift organized by Potsdam University and Roma III. This rift is part of the active East African Rift System, which I introduced in a previous blog post. With a group of 25 enthusiastic participants from Roma Tre, Potsdam University, Nairobi University and GFZ Potsdam (we somehow always managed to make the 20-person bus ...[Read More]

Remarkable Regions – The Kenya Rift

Editorial team 1 June 13, 2018

Image Credit: modified by Anne Glerum after NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua Stevens.

Every 8 weeks we turn our attention to a Remarkable Region that deserves a spot in the scientific limelight. After looking at several convergent plate boundaries, this week the focus lies on part of a nascent divergent plate boundary: the Kenya Rift. The post is by postdoctoral researcher Anne Glerum of GFZ Potsdam. Of course an active continental rift is worthy of the title “Remarkable Region”. A ...[Read More]