Continental breakup in magmatic provinces: An Ethiopian example

Research Article| June 01, 2001 Continental breakup in magmatic provinces: An Ethiopian example C.J. Ebinger; C.J. Ebinger 1Department of Geology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M. Casey M. Casey 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information C.J. Ebinger 1Department of Geology, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK M. Casey 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 25 Sep 2000 Revision Received: 26 Feb 2001 Accepted: 03 Mar 2001 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2001) 29 (6): 527–530. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2001)0292.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 25 Sep 2000 Revision Received: 26 Feb 2001 Accepted: 03 Mar 2001 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation C.J. Ebinger, M. Casey; Continental breakup in magmatic provinces: An Ethiopian example. Geology 2001;; 29 (6): 527–530. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2001)0292.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Mechanical processes largely control the along-axis segmentation of continental rifts; however, asthenospheric processes strongly influence the along-axis segmentation of mid- ocean ridges. We examine the distribution of strain and magmatism in the transitional active Main Ethiopian rift. Magmatic construction, diking, and faulting during the past 1.6 m.y. have created ∼20-km-wide, ∼60-km-long magmatic segments with or without axial valleys. Magmatic segments are arranged en echelon within the ∼100-km-wide rift valley bounded by mid-Miocene border faults. Geodetic data show that magmatic segments accommodate >80% of the strain across the rift, indicating that border faults are no longer the locus of extension. Comparison with mid-ocean ridges suggests that magmatic segments, rather than detachment faults, mark the ocean-continent boundary in rifts with a ready magma supply. Magmatic margins, therefore, may contain detachments abandoned during continental breakup. The processes of localized dike intrusion with underplating would produce strips of mafic crust transitional to oceanic crust, but without coherent seafloor-spreading magnetic anomalies. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.