The significance of volcanic segments and rifts in faults characterization within the Amagmatic graben of the Afar Depression, Ethiopia

To Rotate or to Link? The Connection Between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Rifts in Central Afar

“…A number of recent geophysical and geological observations corroborate this argument. For example, slip rate analysis from the Dobi graben (Figure 1a) shows that faults exhibit increasing slip rates both to the NW‐ and SE‐directions from the graben, which eventually transfer the strain between the DMH and ASAL segments (Demissie et al., 2023). Earthquake swarm analysis from the Afar rift suggests that the Dobi and Serdo basins are the loci of incipient deformation in central Afar (Ruch et al., 2021).…”

“…The numbers 1, 2, 3, show progressive strain localization from block bounding faults (1) to curved faults at their tips (2) to NW-SE oriented faults in the Dobi basin (3) attested by distribution of faults in central afar (Manighetti et al, 1998) Stratoid basalts has been put forward to show that the RS and GoA rifts substantially overlap causing blocks within the overlapping region to rotate in a clockwise sense (Acton et al, 1991;Kidane et al, 2003;Muluneh et al, 2013). On the other hand, geodetic data and strain rate analysis from the last ∼20 years suggest that the RS and GoA do not substantially overlap and that linkage between the two rifts occurs through a belt of overlapping, left-stepping series of extensional basins, with dextral shear occurring at the lateral edges of the linkage zone (Demissie et al, 2023;Pagli et al, 2018;Polun et al, 2018).…”