Rift Valley is a flat-bottomed valley formed by the sinking of the ground between two nearly parallel faults or two parallel series of steep faults. Valley sides are steep and follow the fault lines, which also form the edge of the mountain masses. There are conflicting views as to the origin of rift valleys, including tension in the earth's crust, compression, or the cracking of a crustal dome along the crest. Currently, it is believed that rift valleys result from tectonic plates moving apart at constructive plate margins.
The Great Rift Valley of Africa, which stretches from Mozambique in the south to Syria in the north, is the most well known rift va!ley. It has a total length of 6,440 km. The Rhine Valley (between the Vosges and Black Forest mountains) and Narmada Valley (between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges) are other examples of rift valleys.
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