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Famous Plate Boundary Presentation – East Africa Rift Valley
You and your partner will become experts on the plate tectonics of the East Africa Rift Valley! You will use
Diigo, a social bookmarking site to collaborate on and manage your research online. You will also create and
deliver a 15 minute oral presentation using Powerpoint to share what you learn and help you manage the flow of
your presentation.
You and your partner will:
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Peruse the websites bookmarked in your Diigo group for information, images, and video that allow you to
respond to the prompts below
Search online for additional information and videos – bookmark these resources in your Diigo group
Use Diigo to highlight text and comment on bookmarked resources
Collaborate with your partner on a 15-minute Powerpoint presentation – Due December 1
Present what you learn to the class
You will have two grades for this project – one for the content you present and one for your work as a team.
Your presentation on the East Africa Rift Valley MUST include the following information.
Each person is responsible for five prompts.
1. Describe the location of the Great Rift Valley and explain the theory that a persistent mantle plume is
causing a triple junction rift in the lithospheric plate. Use data from the four maps to support your
presentation.
2. Identify the countries in which the rift valley is located and describe the topographic and volcanic features
associated with the East Africa Rift Valley.
3. Describe the active stratovolcano Mt. Nyiragongo, and describe the uniquely fluid lava and lava lake
associated with this volcano.
4. Describe the recent eruption of another volcano, Mt. Nyamulagira, that threatens the habitat of endangered
chimpanzees.
5. Describe the unique features of the African Great Lakes that relate to their formation within the rift valley.
6. Describe the unique hydrothermal volcanoes near Dallol, Ethiopia in the Danakil Depression. Why are they
so colorful?
7. Describe the damage to human communities caused by the eruption of Mt. Nyirangongo (fires, building
collapses, evacuations, road damage, lava accumulation, ash falls, fatalities and injuries, etc.)
8. Describe consequences to the environment resulting from the tectonic activity within the Great Rift Valley
(forest fires, climate change, dramatic sunsets, acid rain, erosion or mudslides, tsunamis, animal
populations, etc.)
9. Describe one SPECIFIC technique used by scientists to monitor tectonic activity in the rift valley
10. Describe efforts taken to protect local communities from future earthquakes or eruptions in the rift valley.
Bibliography -- The Diigo group will function as your bibliography. You must write a comment or an in-situ
sticky note to identify the source of information you use for each slide, including sources for text information,
pictures, diagrams, animations, video etc.