CompuServe Messages

Jon, FWIW, the Great Rift Valley is splitting apart, and (eventually) there will be an ocean between the two parts of Africa on either side. In fact, the Red Sea is already formed, and will get wider over the millions of years. The "rift" is what geologists call a "graben" in which the crustal plate on both side is pulling apart, with the strip in between sinking to fill in the gap. At least, that's what I read in a popular-level geology book. In fact, the entire Jordan Valley (including the Dead Sea) is part of this rift. That's how come the Dead Sea is below sea level, since erosion alone could never cause the interior regions to become lower than sea level. Leland (amateur scientist) in Houston