The Great Rift Valley is a broad, flat-floored trench flanked by two parallel escarpment walls. Toggle the escarpment shading to see the fault walls stand out, and the rift lakes / volcanic peak markers to spot the named features along the floor.
Published figures: total length about 6,000 km from Lebanon to Mozambique; the East African segment shown here runs about 30-100 km wide; escarpment walls rise roughly 600-2,000 m above the valley floor; rifting began about 25-30 million years ago.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Everything renders on your device with WebGL.
Great Rift Valley 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows the Great Rift Valley in cross-section: a flat trench floor between two parallel escarpment walls, dotted with volcanic peaks and rift lakes along its length. Toggle the escarpment shading to see the fault walls stand out, or toggle the lake and volcano markers to spot the named features.
The Great Rift Valley is a system of tectonic trenches running about 6,000 km from Lebanon and the Jordan Rift south through East Africa to Mozambique, formed as the African and Somali plates pull apart. In East Africa the valley is typically 30-100 km wide, with escarpment walls rising roughly 600-2,000 m above the floor. It is dotted with volcanoes - including Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, East Africa's two tallest peaks - and holds a chain of rift lakes such as Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Turkana. It is sometimes called the "Cradle of Humankind" because major hominid fossil sites, including Olduvai Gorge, lie within it.
- Toggle escarpment shading to highlight the fault walls against the flat floor
- Toggle the lake and volcano markers to spot named rift features
- Read length, width, relief, and age figures in the panel
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Total length | about 6,000 km (3,700 mi), from Lebanon south through East Africa to Mozambique |
| Width (East Africa) | typically about 30-100 km across |
| Escarpment relief | valley walls rise roughly 600-2,000 m above the floor in places |
| Age | rifting began about 25-30 million years ago as the African and Somali plates pull apart |
| Notable peaks | Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, East Africa's two tallest mountains, near the rift |
| Notable rift lakes | Lake Malawi (up to about 700 m deep), Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Turkana |
For the mountain that rises beside this rift system, open the Mount Kilimanjaro 3D Explorer, or see one of its neighboring great lakes in the Lake Victoria 3D Explorer.
The whole Great Rift Valley scene - the flat trench floor, the two escarpment walls, and the volcanic peaks and rift lakes scattered along it - is built and drawn on your own device with WebGL through the site-vendored three.js engine. Orbit the scene to see how the valley sits between its two fault walls, and zoom in to compare the floor against the surrounding plateau. Nothing about your visit is uploaded to a server, and the engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is then cached.
This is an educational approximation - the valley segment, escarpment profile, and peak/lake positions are schematic teaching cues, not survey data.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the Great Rift Valley?
About 6,000 km (3,700 mi), running from the Jordan Rift in Lebanon south through East Africa to Mozambique.
How was the Great Rift Valley formed?
It formed through tectonic rifting that began about 25-30 million years ago, as the African and Somali plates slowly pull apart.
How wide and deep is the valley?
The East African segment is typically about 30-100 km wide, with escarpment walls rising roughly 600-2,000 m above the flat valley floor.
Which mountains and lakes are along the rift?
Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, East Africa's two tallest peaks, rise near it, and a chain of rift lakes - including Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Turkana - lies along its floor.
Why is it called the "Cradle of Humankind"?
Major hominid fossil sites, including Olduvai Gorge, lie within the valley, making it a key region for studying early human evolution.
Is this a scientific terrain model?
No. It is an educational explorer using published figures - the valley segment, escarpment profile, and peak/lake positions are schematic teaching cues, not survey data.