Identification

Title

Secular and tidal strain across the main Ethiopian rift

Abstract

Using a combination of laser ranging and GPS data acquired between 1969 and 1997 we derive a separation velocity for the Somali and Nubian plates in Ethiopia (4.5+/-1 mm/yr at N108+/-10E). This vector is orthogonal to the NNE-trending neotectonic axis (Wonji fault belt) of the Ethiopian rift axis. Current rifting is concentrated within a 33-km-wide zone that includes a 7-km-wide belt of late Quaternary faulting where maximum surface strain rates are comparable to those at active plate boundaries (0.1 mu strain/yr). The strain-field suggests that thin (<5 km) elastic crust separates thick continental lithosphere, a geometry quite different from oceanic rifting, and a mechanical configuration that favors the amplification of regional strain. Semidiurnal strain tides, however, as measured by kinematic GPS methods are not amplified along or across the rift, indicating that the rift zone's low rigidity applies only at periods of years.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7z60sk1

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

1999-09-15T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact