What is the name of the geological rift that runs through Eastern Africa?

The geological rift that runs through Eastern Africa is the East African Rift, also called the East African Rift System. It is an active continental rift where the African Plate is gradually separating into the Nubian and Somali plates.

The rift began developing approximately 22–25 million years ago and extends for thousands of kilometres. Near the Afar Depression in Ethiopia, it connects with the Red Sea Rift and the Gulf of Aden spreading system. Farther south, it divides into eastern and western branches.

This tectonic zone created deep basins and helped form several African Great Lakes, including Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi, and Lake Turkana. It is also associated with major volcanoes such as Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, as well as important fossil sites linked to human evolution.

The common mix-up is “Great Rift Valley.” That name usually describes the broad geographic depression or landscape, while East African Rift is the more precise geological name for the active tectonic system. The Red Sea Rift is connected to it but is a separate segment farther north.