Kinematics of the East African Rift from GPS and earthquake slip vector data

Geological Society, London, Special Publications, v. 259, p. 9-22, in Part 1: Plate kinematic and geodynamic framework of the Afar volcanic province, 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2006.259.01.03International audienceAlthough the East African Rift (EAR) System is often cited as the archetype for models of continental rifting and break-up, its present-day kinematics remains poorly constrained. We show that the currently available GPS and earthquake slip vector data are consistent with (l) a present-day Nubia-Somalia Euler pole located between the southern tip of Africa and the South­ west Indian ridge and (2) the existence of a distinct microplate (Victoria) between the Eastern and Western rifts, rotating counter-clockwise with respect to Nubia. Geodetic and geological data also suggest the existence of a (Rovuma) microplate between the Malawi rift and the Davie ridge, poss­ibly rotating clockwise with respect to Nubia. The data indicate that the EAR comprises at leasttwo rigid lithospheric blocks bounded by narrow belts of seismicity (