Rift lake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
A rift lake is a lake formed as a result of subsidence related to movement on faults within a rift zone, an area of extensional tectonics in the continental crust. They are often found within rift valleys and may be very deep. Rift lakes may be bounded by large steep cliffs along the active fault margins.
[edit] Examples
- Rift Valley lakes, eastern Africa
- Lake Baikal in Siberia
- Lake Vostok in Antarctica
- Lake Balaton in Hungary
- The Orcadian Lakes - rift lakes formed during the Middle Devonian in northern Scotland [1]
[edit] References
- ^ Marshall,J.E.A. & Hewett,A.J. 2003. Devonian. In: Evans, D., Graham, C., Armour, A. & Bathurst, P. (eds): The Millennium Atlas: petroleum geology of the central and northern North Sea. London, the Geological Society of London, 65-81.
