Chapter 9 - Perspective from other rifts in the world

Abstract

This chapter compares and contrasts the geological characteristics of the Baikal rift, Rio Grande rift, Rhine rift, West Antarctic rift, Woodlark rift, Shaanxi Bohai rift, and the East African Rift System (EARS). Active volcanism is present in the West Antarctic rift, Woodlark rift, and EARS, while the Baikal rift, Rio Grande rift, Rhine rift, and Shaanxi Bohai rift do not exhibit active volcanism. Except for the Woodlark rift, which resulted from a back-arc tectonic model, rest of the six rifts formed due to classical extensional forces. The Woodlark rift and EARS experience moderate to large earthquakes, while the other five rifts have small to moderate earthquakes. Except for the Rio Grande rift, the remaining six rifts show indications of hydrocarbon potential. The Baikal rift and Shaanxi Bohai rift have moderate to high geothermal potential, while the EARS has high geothermal potential. Mineralization is present in the Woodlark rift, Shaanxi Bohai rift, and EARS, with significant resources such as Au, Cu, Ag, and Pb.