     a rift valley is a linear-shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic rift or fault. a rift valley is formed on a divergent plate boundary, a crustal extension, a spreading apart of the surface, which is subsequently further deepened by the forces of erosion. when the tensional forces were strong enough to cause the plate to split apart, a center block dropped down between the two blocks at its flanks, forming a graben. this drop of the center creates the nearly parallel steeply dipping walls of a rift valley when it is new. this feature is the beginning of the rift valley, but as the process continues, the valley widens, until it becomes a large basin, that fills with sediment from the rift walls and the surrounding area. one of the most well known examples of this process is the east african rift. rifts can occur at all elevations, from the sea floor to plateaus and mountain ranges. they can occur in continental crust or in oceanic crust. rift valleys are often associated with a number of adjoining subsidiary or co-extensive valleys, which are typically considered part of the principal rift valley geologically. the most extensive rift valley is located along the crest of the mid-ocean ridge system and is the result of sea floor spreading. examples of this type of rift include the mid-atlantic ridge and the east pacific rise. many existing continental rift valleys are the result of a failed arm (aulacogen) of a triple junction, although there are two, the east african rift and the baikal rift zone, which are currently active, as well as a third which may be, the west antarctic rift. in these instances, not only the crust, but also entire tectonic plates, are in the process of breaking apart to create new plates. if they continue, continental rifts will eventually become oceanic rifts. other rift valleys are the result of bends or discontinuities in horizontally-moving (strike-slip) faults. when these bends or discontinuities are in the same direction as the relative motions along the fault, extension occurs. for example, for a right lateral-moving fault, a bend to the right will result in stretching and consequent subsidence in the area of the irregularity. in the view of many geologists today, the [
Geology_terminology Rift_valleys Valleys