Which of the following tectonic processes is primarily responsible for the creation of the East African Rift System, characterized by deep valley grabens, active volcanism, and numerous freshwater lakes?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The East African Rift System is an active continental rift zone representing a divergent plate boundary where the African tectonic plate is splitting into two new plates, the Somali and Nubian plates. Tensional forces stretch the crust, causing normal faulting that drops central blocks into grabens. Subduction zones generate island arcs and deep trenches, whereas transform faults produce conservative plate boundaries like the San Andreas Fault.