Map of larger region that the lakes are in, including the so-called Great Rift Valley.
View over Lake Turkana
The Rift Valley lakes are well known for the evolution of at least 800 cichlid fish species that live in their waters. More species are expected to be discovered.[1]
Lake Kivu's "still waters ... hide another face: dissolved within are billions of cubic meters of flammable methane and more still of carbon dioxide, the result of volcanic gases seeping in."[2]
Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes national park
The Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes are the northernmost of the African Rift Valley lakes. In central Ethiopia, the Main Ethiopian Rift, also known as the Great Rift Valley, splits the Ethiopian highlands into northern and southern halves, and the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes occupy the floor of the rift valley between the two highlands. Most of the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes do not have an outlet, and most are alkaline. Although the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes are of great importance to Ethiopia's economy, as well as being essential to the survival of the local people, there were no intensive and extensive limnological studies undertaken of these lakes until recently.[3]
The major ones are
Lake Abaya (areal extent 1,162 square kilometres (449 sq mi), elevation 1,285 metres (4,216 ft), maximum depth 13.1 metres (43 ft)), the largest Ethiopian Rift Valley lake by surface area
Lake Zway or Dambal (areal extent 485 square kilometres (187 sq mi), elevation 1,636 metres (5,367 ft), maximum depth 8.9 metres (29 ft))
Lake Shala (areal extent 329 square kilometres (127 sq mi), elevation 1,558 metres (5,112 ft), maximum depth 266 metres (873 ft)), the deepest Ethiopian Rift Valley lake and the largest by water volume
Koka Reservoir (areal extent 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi), elevation 1,590 metres (5,220 ft), maximum depth not listed)
South of the Ethiopian highlands, the rift valley splits into two major troughs. The Eastern Rift is home to the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes, while most of the Central African Rift Valley lakes lie in the Western Rift. This area includes the Gregory Rift in Kenya and Tanzania.
Kenya
The Kenyan section of the Rift Valley is home to eight lakes, of which three are freshwater and the rest alkaline. Of the latter, the shallow soda lakes of the Eastern Rift Valley have crystallised salt turning the shores white and are famous for the large flocks of flamingo that feed on crustaceans.
Lake Baringo: second largest of the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes.
Some of the Rift Valley lakes. From left to right they are Lake Upemba, Lake Mweru, Lake Tanganyika (largest), and Lake Rukwa. This image spans the SE corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, NE Zambia, and southern Tanzania.
The lakes of the Western or Albertine Rift, with Lake Victoria, include the largest, deepest, and oldest of the Rift Valley Lakes. They are also referred to as the Central African lakes. Lakes Albert, Victoria, and Edward are part of the Nile River basin.
Lake Victoria (elevation 1,134 metres (3,720 ft)), with an area of 68,800 square kilometres (26,600 sq mi), is the largest lake in Africa. It is not in the rift valley, instead occupying a depression between the eastern and western rifts formed by the uplift of the rifts to either side. Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika, and Malawi are sometimes collectively known as the African Great Lakes.
Lake Albert (5,300 square kilometres (2,000 sq mi), elevation 615 metres (2,018 ft)) is the northernmost lake in the western rift.
Lake Edward (2,325 square kilometres (898 sq mi), elevation 912 metres (2,992 ft)) drains north into Lake Albert
Lake Kivu (2,220 square kilometres (860 sq mi), elevation 1,460 metres (4,790 ft)) empties into Lake Tanganyika via the Ruzizi River.
Lake Tanganyika (32,900 square kilometres (12,700 sq mi), elevation 773 metres (2,536 ft)) is the largest and deepest of the Rift Valley lakes (more than 1,400 metres (4,600 ft)), and is the second deepest fresh water lake on the planet (after Lake Baikal).[1] Below roughly 200 meters depth, its water is anoxic and devoid of life besides anoxic bacteria.[4] It is very sensitive to climate.[5] It is part of the Congo River basin, feeding into the River Congo via the Lukuga River.
Southern Rift Valley lakes (Tanzania and Malawi)
The Southern Rift Valley lakes are like the Western Rift Valley lakes in that, with one exception, they are freshwater lakes.
Lake Rukwa (about 5,670 square kilometres (2,190 sq mi) but quite variable) in Tanzania is the alkaline exception, lying south-east of Tanganyika, and has no outlet.
Lake Malawi (30,000 square kilometres (12,000 sq mi), elevation 500 metres (1,600 ft)), the second largest and second deepest of the Rift Valley lakes at over 700 metres (2,300 ft), is drained by the Shire River, a tributary of the Zambezi River. Also known as Lake Nyasa.
Lake Chilwa (1,750 square kilometres (680 sq mi), elevation 622 metres (2,041 ft)) has no outlet but extensive wetlands. It is the southernmost of the Rift Valley lakes.
Other lakes of the Great Rift Valley
Lake Mweru (5,120 square kilometres (1,980 sq mi)[6] elevation 922 m) lies in the Lake Mweru-Luapula graben, which is a branch off the Albertine rift.
Lake Mweru Wantipa (1,500 square kilometres (580 sq mi), elevation 930 metres (3,050 ft)) is a marshy lake between lakes Tanganyika and Mweru, and is endorheic but may overflow into Lake Mweru at times of very high flood.
References
^ ab. www.worldwildlife.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2008.
^Plisnier P.-D., Chitamwebwa D., Mwape L., Tshibangu K., Langenberg V., Coenen E. (1999). "Limnological annual cycle inferred from physical-chemical fluctuations at three stations of Lake Tanganyika". Hydrobiologia. 407: 45–58. doi:10.1023/A:1003762119873.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Bos AR, CK Kapasa and PAM van Zwieten (2006). "Update on the bathymetry of Lake Mweru (Zambia), with notes on water level fluctuations". African Journal of Aquatic Science. 31 (1): 145–150. doi:10.2989/16085910609503882.
External links
Lakes of the Rift Valley Project
Africa Rift Valley Pictures From Helicopter by Michael Poliza
rift, valley, lakes, series, lakes, east, african, rift, valley, that, runs, through, eastern, africa, from, ethiopia, north, malawi, south, includes, african, great, lakes, south, these, include, some, world, oldest, lakes, deepest, lakes, largest, lakes, are. The Rift Valley lakes are a series of lakes in the East African Rift valley that runs through eastern Africa from Ethiopia in the north to Malawi in the south and includes the African Great Lakes in the south These include some of the world s oldest lakes deepest lakes largest lakes by area and largest lakes by volume Many are freshwater ecoregions of great biodiversity while others are alkaline soda lakes supporting highly specialised organisms Rift Valley lakesGreater and lesser flamingos flock to Lake Nakuru in KenyaRift Valley lakesLocationEast AfricaCoordinates3 00 N 36 20 E 3 000 N 36 333 E 3 000 36 333 Coordinates 3 00 N 36 20 E 3 000 N 36 333 E 3 000 36 333TypeSeries of lakesMap of larger region that the lakes are in including the so called Great Rift Valley View over Lake Turkana The Rift Valley lakes are well known for the evolution of at least 800 cichlid fish species that live in their waters More species are expected to be discovered 1 The World Wide Fund for Nature has designated these lakes as one of its Global 200 priority ecoregions for conservation citation needed Contents 1 Geology 2 Ecology 3 Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes national park 4 Eastern Rift Valley lakes 4 1 Kenya 4 2 Tanzania 5 Western or Albertine Rift Valley lakes 6 Southern Rift Valley lakes Tanzania and Malawi 7 Other lakes of the Great Rift Valley 8 References 9 External linksGeology EditLake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika have formed in the various valleys of the East African Rift zone Ecology EditLake Kivu s still waters hide another face dissolved within are billions of cubic meters of flammable methane and more still of carbon dioxide the result of volcanic gases seeping in 2 Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes national park Edit The Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes are the northernmost of the African Rift Valley lakes In central Ethiopia the Main Ethiopian Rift also known as the Great Rift Valley splits the Ethiopian highlands into northern and southern halves and the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes occupy the floor of the rift valley between the two highlands Most of the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes do not have an outlet and most are alkaline Although the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes are of great importance to Ethiopia s economy as well as being essential to the survival of the local people there were no intensive and extensive limnological studies undertaken of these lakes until recently 3 The major ones are Lake Abaya areal extent 1 162 square kilometres 449 sq mi elevation 1 285 metres 4 216 ft maximum depth 13 1 metres 43 ft the largest Ethiopian Rift Valley lake by surface area Lake Chamo areal extent 551 square kilometres 213 sq mi elevation 1 235 metres 4 052 ft maximum depth 14 metres 46 ft Lake Zway or Dambal areal extent 485 square kilometres 187 sq mi elevation 1 636 metres 5 367 ft maximum depth 8 9 metres 29 ft Lake Shala areal extent 329 square kilometres 127 sq mi elevation 1 558 metres 5 112 ft maximum depth 266 metres 873 ft the deepest Ethiopian Rift Valley lake and the largest by water volume Koka Reservoir areal extent 250 square kilometres 97 sq mi elevation 1 590 metres 5 220 ft maximum depth not listed Lake Langano areal extent 230 square kilometres 89 sq mi elevation 1 585 metres 5 200 ft maximum depth 46 metres 151 ft Lake Abijatta areal extent 205 square kilometres 79 sq mi elevation 1 573 metres 5 161 ft maximum depth 14 metres 46 ft Lake Awasa areal extent 129 square kilometres 50 sq mi elevation 1 708 metres 5 604 ft maximum depth 10 metres 33 ft Lake Tana the source of the Blue Nile lies in the Ethiopian highlands north of the Rift Valley however it is not a Rift Valley lake 4 Eastern Rift Valley lakes EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed March 2016 Learn how and when to remove this template message Lake Natron South of the Ethiopian highlands the rift valley splits into two major troughs The Eastern Rift is home to the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes while most of the Central African Rift Valley lakes lie in the Western Rift This area includes the Gregory Rift in Kenya and Tanzania Kenya Edit The Kenyan section of the Rift Valley is home to eight lakes of which three are freshwater and the rest alkaline Of the latter the shallow soda lakes of the Eastern Rift Valley have crystallised salt turning the shores white and are famous for the large flocks of flamingo that feed on crustaceans Lake Baringo second largest of the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes 130 square kilometres 50 sq mi elevation 970 metres 3 180 ft freshwater Lake Bogoria shallow soda lake a national preserve 34 square kilometres 13 sq mi elevation 990 metres 3 250 ft Lake Elmenteita shallow soda lake Lake Logipi a shallow hot spring fed soda lake in the Suguta Valley just south of Lake Turkana Formerly Lake Suguta Lake Magadi shallow soda lake near the southern border with Tanzania Lake Naivasha 160 square kilometres 62 sq mi although it varies somewhat with rainfall elevation 1 890 metres 6 200 ft freshwater Lake Nakuru shallow soda lake has been a national park since 1968 40 square kilometres 15 sq mi elevation 1 759 metres 5 771 ft Lake Turkana the largest of the Kenyan lakes on the border of Kenya and Ethiopia 6 405 square kilometres 2 473 sq mi elevation 360 metres 1 180 ft freshwaterTanzania Edit All the lakes in the Tanzanian section of this group are alkaline Lake Eyasi shallow soda lake Lake Makati shallow soda lake Lake Manyara shallow soda lake Lake Natron shallow soda lake that has been categorised by the World Wildlife Fund as being in the East African halophytics ecoregion Western or Albertine Rift Valley lakes Edit Some of the Rift Valley lakes From left to right they are Lake Upemba Lake Mweru Lake Tanganyika largest and Lake Rukwa This image spans the SE corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo NE Zambia and southern Tanzania The lakes of the Western or Albertine Rift with Lake Victoria include the largest deepest and oldest of the Rift Valley Lakes They are also referred to as the Central African lakes Lakes Albert Victoria and Edward are part of the Nile River basin Lake Victoria elevation 1 134 metres 3 720 ft with an area of 68 800 square kilometres 26 600 sq mi is the largest lake in Africa It is not in the rift valley instead occupying a depression between the eastern and western rifts formed by the uplift of the rifts to either side Lakes Victoria Tanganyika and Malawi are sometimes collectively known as the African Great Lakes The Western Rift Valley lakes are fresh water and home to an extraordinary number of species Approximately 1 500 cichlid fish Cichlidae species live in the lakes In addition to the cichlids populations of Clariidae Claroteidae Mochokidae Poeciliidae Mastacembelidae Centropomidae Cyprinidae Clupeidae and other fish families are found in these lakes They are also important habitats for a number of amphibian species including Amietophrynus kisoloensis Bufo keringyagae Cardioglossa cyaneospila and Nectophryne batesii Lake Albert 5 300 square kilometres 2 000 sq mi elevation 615 metres 2 018 ft is the northernmost lake in the western rift Lake Edward 2 325 square kilometres 898 sq mi elevation 912 metres 2 992 ft drains north into Lake Albert Lake Kivu 2 220 square kilometres 860 sq mi elevation 1 460 metres 4 790 ft empties into Lake Tanganyika via the Ruzizi River Lake Tanganyika 32 900 square kilometres 12 700 sq mi elevation 773 metres 2 536 ft is the largest and deepest of the Rift Valley lakes more than 1 400 metres 4 600 ft and is the second deepest fresh water lake on the planet after Lake Baikal 1 Below roughly 200 meters depth its water is anoxic and devoid of life besides anoxic bacteria 4 It is very sensitive to climate 5 It is part of the Congo River basin feeding into the River Congo via the Lukuga River Southern Rift Valley lakes Tanzania and Malawi EditThe Southern Rift Valley lakes are like the Western Rift Valley lakes in that with one exception they are freshwater lakes Lake Rukwa about 5 670 square kilometres 2 190 sq mi but quite variable in Tanzania is the alkaline exception lying south east of Tanganyika and has no outlet Lake Malawi 30 000 square kilometres 12 000 sq mi elevation 500 metres 1 600 ft the second largest and second deepest of the Rift Valley lakes at over 700 metres 2 300 ft is drained by the Shire River a tributary of the Zambezi River Also known as Lake Nyasa Lake Malombe 450 square kilometres 170 sq mi is on the Shire River Lake Chilwa 1 750 square kilometres 680 sq mi elevation 622 metres 2 041 ft has no outlet but extensive wetlands It is the southernmost of the Rift Valley lakes Other lakes of the Great Rift Valley EditLake Mweru 5 120 square kilometres 1 980 sq mi 6 elevation 922 m lies in the Lake Mweru Luapula graben which is a branch off the Albertine rift Lake Mweru Wantipa 1 500 square kilometres 580 sq mi elevation 930 metres 3 050 ft is a marshy lake between lakes Tanganyika and Mweru and is endorheic but may overflow into Lake Mweru at times of very high flood References Edit a b WWF Global 200 Ecoregions Rift Valley Lakes 182 www worldwildlife org Archived from the original on December 22 2004 Retrieved 16 March 2008 What Lies Beneath The Economist 2016 03 12 Hynes H B N Tudorancea C amp Taylor W D Eds Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes www euronet nl Retrieved 16 March 2008 a b Smith Anthony 1988 The Great Rift Africa s Changing Valley London BBC Books ISBN 978 0 8069 6906 0 Plisnier P D Chitamwebwa D Mwape L Tshibangu K Langenberg V Coenen E 1999 Limnological annual cycle inferred from physical chemical fluctuations at three stations of Lake Tanganyika Hydrobiologia 407 45 58 doi 10 1023 A 1003762119873 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Bos AR CK Kapasa and PAM van Zwieten 2006 Update on the bathymetry of Lake Mweru Zambia with notes on water level fluctuations African Journal of Aquatic Science 31 1 145 150 doi 10 2989 16085910609503882 External links EditLakes of the African Rift Valley Lakes of the Rift Valley Project Africa Rift Valley Pictures From Helicopter by Michael PolizaPortals Africa Lakes Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rift Valley lakes amp oldid 1092301033, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
