EPSS Colloquium spring-2016

Evolution of the Afro-Arabian Rift

The Afro-Arabian rift includes the Red Sea and East African rift that extends from the Afar Triangle (Ethiopia) to Mozambique in southern Africa. Global tomographic models have revealed a profound seismic low-velocity anomaly originating in the deep mantle beneath Africa. A major breakthrough in studies of the Red Sea portion of the rift system has resulted from the installation, starting in 2009, of 180 broadband seismic stations in Saudi Arabia. The analysis of these seismic data, combined with GPS measurements of plate motions, provide new insights into the evolution of the Red Sea rift.