Coevolution of craton margins and interiors during continental break-up.

Many cratonic continental fragments dispersed during the rifting and break-up of Gondwana are bound by steep topographic landforms known as 'great escarpments', which rim elevated plateaus in the craton interior. In terms of formation, escarpments and plateaus are traditionally considered distinct owing to their spatial separation, occasionally spanning more than a thousand kilometres. Here we integrate geological observations, statistical analysis, geodynamic simulations and landscape-evolution models to develop a physical model that mechanistically links both phenomena to continental rifting.

Rift-induced disruption of cratonic keels drives kimberlite volcanism.

Kimberlites are volatile-rich, occasionally diamond-bearing magmas that have erupted explosively at Earth's surface in the geologic past. These enigmatic magmas, originating from depths exceeding 150 km in Earth's mantle, occur in stable cratons and in pulses broadly synchronous with supercontinent cyclicity. Whether their mobilization is driven by mantle plumes or by mechanical weakening of cratonic lithosphere remains unclear.

Victoria continental microplate dynamics controlled by the lithospheric strength distribution of the East African Rift.

The Victoria microplate between the Eastern and Western Branches of the East African Rift System is one of the largest continental microplates on Earth. In striking contrast to its neighboring plates, Victoria rotates counterclockwise with respect to Nubia. The underlying cause of this distinctive rotation has remained elusive so far.

Aborted propagation of the Ethiopian rift caused by linkage with the Kenyan rift.

Continental rift systems form by propagation of isolated rift segments that interact, and eventually evolve into continuous zones of deformation. This process impacts many aspects of rifting including rift morphology at breakup, and eventual ocean-ridge segmentation. Yet, rift segment growth and interaction remain enigmatic.