White Nile rift
The White Nile rift is one of several rifts in central Sudan running in a NW direction and terminating in the Central African Shear Zone. The rift is a Cretaceous/Tertiary structure that has similar tectonic characteristics to the Southern Sudan Rift, Blue Nile rift and Atbara rift.[1] These rifts follow similar trends, and terminate in a line at their northwestern ends. Probably this line is an extension of the Central African Shear Zone through the Sudan.[2]
The rift basin is formed by the junction of the Umm Rubaba grabens, which extends in a NW direction, and the White Nile graben, which extends in a N to NW direction.[3] The basin is filled with sediments and igneous rocks, and is a target for oil and gas exploration.[4] The rift basins appear to be hydrologically closed, with no lateral transfer of water.[5] One theory is that the current White Nile may have developed no more than 12,500 years ago when the basins filled and the rivers became connected.[6]
References
- ^ S.E. Browne, J.D. Fairhead and I.I. Mohamed (10 March 1985). "Gravity study of the White Nile Rift, Sudan, and its regional tectonic setting". Tectonophysics. 113 (1–2): 123–137. Bibcode:1985Tectp.113..123B. doi:10.1016/0040-1951(85)90113-1.
- ^ Robert Bowen, Ulrich Jux (1987). Afro-Arabian geology: a kinematic view. Springer. p. 143. ISBN 0-412-29700-0.
- ^ Richard C. Selley (1997). African basins. Elsevier. p. 115. ISBN 0-444-82571-1.
- ^ "Rocks for crops: Sudan" (PDF). University of Guelph. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
- ^ O. A. E. Abdalla. "Evapotranspiration computed by Darcy's Law: Sudan case study" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-01-27.
- ^ Terje Tvedt (2004). The Nile: an annotated bibliography. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 1-86064-879-7.
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- Major plates: African Plate
- Minor plates: Somali Plate
- Microplates: Lwandle Plate
- Madagascar Plate
- Rovuma Plate
- Seychelles Plate
- Victoria Microplate
- Arabian-Nubian Shield
- Congo Craton
- Kaapvaal Craton
- Kalahari Craton
- Saharan Metacraton
- Tanzania Craton
- Tuareg Shield
- West African Craton
- Zimbabwe Craton
- Aswa Dislocation
- Broodkop Shear Zone
- Central African Shear Zone
- Chuan Shear Zones
- Foumban Shear Zone
- Kandi Fault Zone
- Mwembeshi Shear Zone
- Todi Shear Zone
- Western Meseta Shear Zone
- Afar Triangle
- Anza trough
- Bahr el Arab rift
- Benue Trough
- Blue Nile rift
- East African Rift
- Gulf of Suez Rift
- Lamu Embayment
- Melut Basin
- Muglad Basin
- Red Sea Rift
- Sangha Aulacogen
- Atbara rift
- Urema Valley
- West and Central African Rift System
- White Nile rift
- Angola Basin
- Aoukar
- Blue Nile Basin
- Chad Basin
- Congo Basin
- Douala Basin
- El Djouf
- Karoo Basin
- Gabon Basin
- Iullemmeden Basin
- Kufra Basin
- Murzuq Basin
- Niger Delta Basin
- Ogaden Basin
- Orange River Basin
- Ouled Abdoun Basin
- Owambo Basin
- Reggane Basin
- Rio del Rey Basin
- Sirte Basin
- Somali Coastal Basin
- Taoudeni Basin
- Tanzania Coastal Basin
- Tindouf Basin
- Turkana Basin
- Aïr Mountains
- Atlas Mountains
- Aurès Mountains
- Bambouk Mountains
- Blue Mountains
- Cameroon line
- Central Pangean Mountains
- Chaillu Mountains
- Drakensberg
- Eastern Arc Mountains
- Eastern Rift mountains
- Ethiopian Highlands
- Great Escarpment
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- Hoggar Mountains
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- Mitumba Mountains
- Nuba Mountains
- Rif Mountains
- Rwenzori Mountains
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- Serra da Leba
- Serra da Chela
- Teffedest Mountains
- Tibesti Mountains
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