207 Honoring the Late Professor Mohamed Abdelsalam: Outstanding Researcher, Generous Colleague, Legendary Mentor, and Ambassador for the Geosciences In Africa

To honor the late Professor Mohamed Abdelsalam, we invite abstracts on research in Africa by those who worked with him and those inspired by his outstanding work in structural geology, tectonics, geophysics, and remote sensing.

Tuesday, 21 October 2025
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
HBGCC, 217D

The African Continent in Motion: Surface Observations and Geodynamic Insights into Rifting

Paper number: 207-1
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:35 PM – 1:55 PM

Authors

Abstract

The African continent is slowly fragmenting along the East African Rift System (EARS) at different rates from the Afar triple junction in the north down to Mozambique, South Africa, and to the southwest Indian Ridge in the south. What drives this fragmentation process and how exactly the Earth's plates and microplates are moving along the EARS is not well constrained. In this work, we present a recent kinematic model based on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) observations that shows how the tectonic plates and microplates of the EARS are slowly moving and deforming, which causes hazardous seismic and volcanic activity. Using advanced numerical methods, this work also investigates the physics driving surface motions to understand the driving forces causing the break-up of Africa. Geodynamic modeling results indicate that the surface deformation characterized by approximately east-west extension is driven by forces from topography gradients and lithospheric buoyancy rather than viscous coupling to diverging mantle flow.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-412184

© Copyright 2025 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.