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Plate tectonics

Magma does the splits

A minor volcanic eruption in Ethiopia was the main visible clue to a massive injection of magma along the Afar rift last year. Such inconspicuous processes could have been crucial in early continental break-up.

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Figure 1

E. BAKER

Figure 2: Rifting in the Afar in 2005 in simplified cross-section.

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Sigmundsson, F. Magma does the splits. Nature 442, 251–252 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/442251a

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