African Rift Valley

Johnson T. C. (1996) Sedimentary processes and signals of past climatic change in the large lakes of the East African Rift Valley. In The Limnology, Climatology, and Paleoclimatol-ogy of the East African Lakes (eds. T. C. Johnson and E. O. Odada). Gordon and Breach, Amsterdam. 

We now turn to Asia where a separate cmcible developed from the Amphipithecus tree dwellers of forty million years ago. Amphipithecus and Aegyptopithecus of the African Rift Valley are closely related. Indeed, they were probably the same group for all genetic purposes. 

Extensive volcanism can be found in eastern Africa associated with the East African rift system. Helium isotope ratios measured in basalts from the Ethiopian Rift Valley and Afar, near the triple junction of Red Sea, Aden, and Ethiopian rift systems, are 6-17/ a (Marty et al., 1993, 1996 Scarsi and Craig, 1996). These values include MORB ratios as well as indications of both contributions from radiogenic He and high He/ He hotspots. To the south, the rift system divides into eastern and western branches. Xenoliths from Tanzanian vents in the eastern branch... 

Attacks against animals could include several viruses East African swine fever, hog cholera, Rift Valley fever, rinderpest, foot and mouth disease, fowl plague, and Newcastle disease. Bacteria of anthrax, brucellosis, glanders, etc., could be employed. Many of these are exotic diseases not generally seen in the United States. 

The African proto-humans called Ramapithecus emerged in the Rift Valley of Africa between fourteen million and seven million years ago. This valley extends from the Danakil Depression, south of the Red Sea, well into South Africa. 

Among the bunyaviruses, the significant human pathogens include the phlebovirus Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus, which causes Rift Valley fever. This major African disease is frequently associated with unusual increases in mosquito populations.6 Rift Valley fever is also a disease of domestic livestock, and human infections have resulted from contact with infected blood, especially around slaughter houses. 

Renaut, R. W., J. J. Tiercelin R. B. Owen, 1986. Mineral precipitation and diagenesis in the sediments of Eake Begoria basin, Kenya Rift Valley. In Frostick, L. E., R. W. Renaut, I. Reid J. J. Tiercelin (eds.) Sedimentation in the African Rifts. Geol. Soc. Spec. Pub. No. 25 159-175. Rex, R. W. R. G. Chown, 1960. Planchet press and accessories for mounting X-ray powder diffraction samples. Amer. Mineral. 45 1280-1282. 

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