The Great Rift Valley is part of an intra-continental ridge system that runs through Kenya from north to south. It is part of the Gregory Rift , the eastern branch of the East African Rift , which starts in Tanzania to the south and continues northward into Ethiopia . It was formed on the "Kenyan Dome", a geographical upwelling created by the interactions of three major tectonics: the Arabian, Nubian, and Somalian plates. In the past, it was seen as part of a " Great Rift Valley " that runs from Madagascar to Syria . Most of the valley falls within the former Rift Valley Province .
32-680: The Gilgil River drains part of the floor of the Great Rift Valley, Kenya and the plateau to the east of the valley, flowing from the north into Lake Naivasha . The river runs to the east of the town of Gilgil , which is on the height of land between the Lake Naivasha and Lake Elmenteita basins. The river has its origins above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft), where rainfall is around 1,100 millimetres (43 in) annually. It has water year round. The Gilgil has three main headwaters. The Morindati rises at 2,700 metres (8,900 ft),
64-422: A caldera that formed about 8,000 years ago. It overlooks Lake Nakuru to the south. This region also includes Lake Elementaita , Mount Kipipiri and Lake Naivasha . The Hell's Gate National Park lies south of Lake Naivasha . In the early 1900s, Mount Longonot erupted, and ash can still be felt around Hell's Gate. Mount Longonot is a dormant stratovolcano located southeast of Lake Naivasha . Mount Suswa
96-580: A group of more than fifty East African conservation and environmental institutions are running a worldwide campaign to stop the planned construction of the soda ash factory by Tata Chemicals Ltd of Mumbai, India, and National Development Corporation of Tanzania. The group working under the umbrella name Lake Natron Consultative Group is being co-ordinated by Ken Mwathe, Conservation Programme Manager at BirdLife International 's Africa Secretariat. As per communication in June 2008, Tata Chemicals shall not proceed with
128-699: A ridge between these two peaks. Ngong Hills are peaks in a ridge along the east of the Great Rift Valley, located southwest near Nairobi. Kenya is home to 64 (9.50%) of the total lakes found within the continent of Africa. Eight of these make up the main lakes in the Kenyan Rift Valley. From north to south, the names of these lakes are Lake Turkana , Lake Logipi , Lake Baringo , Lake Bogoria , Lake Nakuru , Lake Elmenteita , Lake Naivasha , and Lake Magadi . Of those eight, only Lakes Baringo and Naivasha are fresh water. Lake Turkana, at
160-453: Is a maximum of 57 kilometres (35 mi) long and 22 kilometres (14 mi) wide. The surrounding area receives irregular seasonal rainfall, mainly between December and May totalling 800 millimetres (31 in) per year. Temperatures at the lake are frequently above 40 °C (104 °F). High levels of evaporation have left behind natron ( sodium carbonate decahydrate) and trona (sodium sesquicarbonate dihydrate). The alkalinity of
192-520: Is a shield volcano located between Narok and Nairobi . Lava flows from the most recent eruptions are still not covered by vegetation, and may be no more than one hundred years old. Lake Magadi is the most southern rift valley lake in Kenya, although the northern end of Lake Natron in Tanzania reaches into Kenya. The Elgeyo escarpment forms part of the western wall. The Kerio Valley lies between
224-545: Is about 120 kilometres (75 mi) southwest of Nairobi, while the southern edge is near the Tanzanian border, at the northwestern corner of Lake Natron . The Aberdare Range forms a section of the eastern rim of the Great Rift Valley to the north of Nairobi. Mount Satima lies at the northern end of the Aberdares and is their highest point, and Mount Kinangop at the southern end is the second highest. The mountains form
256-465: Is bordered by escarpments to the east and west. The floor is broken by volcanoes, some still active, and contains a series of lakes. Some of the soils are Andisols , fertile soils from relatively recent volcanic activity. Lake Turkana occupies the northern end of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. There are also volcanoes in Lake Turkana. The Suguta Valley , or Suguta Mud Flats, is an arid part of
288-507: Is home to some endemic algae , invertebrates , and birds . In the slightly less salty water around its margins, some fish can also survive. The lake is the only regular breeding area in East Africa for the 2.5 million lesser flamingoes , whose status of "near threatened" results from their dependence on this one location. When salinity increases, so do cyanobacteria , and the lake can also support more nests. These flamingoes,
320-405: Is no formal protection. A new threat to Lake Natron is the proposed development of a soda ash plant on its shores. The plant would pump water from the lake and extract the sodium carbonate to convert to washing powder for export. Accompanying the plant would be housing for over 1000 workers, and a coal-fired power station to provide energy for the plant complex. In addition, there is a possibility
352-618: Is some herding and some seasonal cultivation. Threats to the salinity balance from increased siltation influxes will come from more projected logging in Natron watersheds and a planned hydroelectric power plant on the Ewaso Nyiro across the border in Kenya . Although development plans include constructions of a dike at the north end of the lake to contain the freshwater, the threat of dilution to this breeding ground may still be serious. There
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#1732791154138384-548: Is the most important feeding area for lesser flamingos in the world. The system is home to globally important populations of black-necked grebe , African spoonbill , pied avocet , little grebe , yellow-billed stork , black-winged stilt , grey-headed gull and gull-billed tern . The Kenya lake system is a key location on the West Asian-East African Flyway , a route followed by huge numbers of birds in their annual migration from breeding grounds in
416-486: Is the only regular breeding area for Africa's lesser flamingoes , although this habitat is not protected and is under threat from planned development projects. This lake is fed principally by the Southern Ewaso Ng'iro River, which rises in central Kenya , and by mineral-rich hot springs. It is quite shallow, less than three metres (9.8 ft) deep, and varies in width depending on its water level. The lake
448-823: The Tugen Hills and the Elgeyo escarpment at an elevation of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) There are large deposits of Fluorite in the Kerio Valley area. Further south the Mau Escarpment is a steep natural cliff approximately 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high, running along the western edge of the Great Rift Valley about Lake Naivasha . Yet further south the Nguruman Escarpment is around 50 kilometers long and elongated in N-W direction. Its northern edge
480-526: The Flamingos by Disneynature , for its close relationship with the Lesser flamingoes as their only regular breeding area. Two endemic fish species, the alkaline tilapias Alcolapia latilabris and A. ndalalani , also thrive in the waters at the edges of the hot spring inlets. A. alcalica is also present in the lake, but is not endemic. The area around the salt lake is not inhabited but there
512-686: The Gilgil River with obsidian stone flake tools and rough pottery, predating the Iron Age. Tools included skin scrapers, borers and small knives. Great Rift Valley, Kenya The valley contains the Cherangani Hills and a chain of volcanoes, some of which are still active. The climate is mild, with temperatures usually below 28 °C (82 °F). Most rain falls during the March–June and October–November periods. The Tugen Hills to
544-411: The Great Rift Valley directly south of Lake Turkana . The shield volcano Emuruangogolak straddles the valley to the south of Suguta, and further south Mount Silali and Paka rise from the valley floor. Paka is a shield volcano, with widespread geothermal activity. South of Paka are Mount Korosi , Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria . Menengai is a massive shield volcano in the floor of the rift with
576-567: The Kiriundu at 2,710 metres (8,890 ft) and the Little Gilgil at 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). The maximum horizontal channel length is 60 kilometres (37 mi) and maximum drop is 873 metres (2,864 ft). Just north of the lake, the river opens into a broad floodplain, through which channels have been dug to support irrigated farming. The river's inlet to Lake Naivasha is cloaked with Papyrus, other sedges and Typha. The Gilgil and
608-762: The Natron Project and further re-examination of this project will be subject to the Ramsar Wetlands plan, which is currently under preparation. Because of its unique biodiversity, Tanzania named the Lake Natron Basin to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance on 4 July 2001. The lake is also the World Wildlife Fund East African halophytics ecoregion . There are a number of campgrounds near
640-445: The bodies of any living thing that died in the lake. The colour of the lake is characteristic of those where very high evaporation rates occur. As water evaporates during the dry season, salinity levels increase to the point that salt-loving microorganisms begin to thrive. Such halophile organisms include some cyanobacteria that make their own food with photosynthesis as plants do. The red accessory photosynthesizing pigment in
672-527: The cyanobacteria produces the deep reds of the open water of the lake and the orange colours of the shallow parts of the lake. The alkali salt crust on the surface of the lake is also often coloured red or pink by the halophilic microorganisms that live there. Salt marshes and freshwater wetlands around the edges of the lake do support a variety of plants. Most animals find the lake's high temperature (up to 60 °C [140 °F]) and its high and variable salt content inhospitable. Nonetheless, Lake Natron
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#1732791154138704-492: The developers may introduce a hybrid brine shrimp to increase the efficiency of extraction. According to Chris Magin, the RSPB's international officer for Africa, "The chance of the lesser flamingoes continuing to breed in the face of such mayhem are next to zero. This development will leave lesser flamingoes in East Africa facing extinction". Seventy-five percent of the world's lesser flamingoes are born on Lake Natron. Currently
736-471: The lake can reach a pH of greater than 12. The surrounding bedrock is composed of alkaline, sodium-dominated trachyte lavas that were laid down during the Pleistocene period. The lavas have significant amounts of carbonate but very low calcium and magnesium levels. This has allowed the lake to concentrate into a caustic alkaline brine. The chemical properties of the water are known to calcify
768-437: The lake, which is also the base for climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai . Lake Natron has tourist attraction potentials that are important for ecotourism development. However, lack of a general management plan, inadequate funding at the operational level, lack of mechanisms to secure a fair distribution of ecotourism benefits, and poorly developed tourism infrastructural facilities to support diverse segments of tourists were identified as
800-691: The lakeside sediments also. Their numbers cause trampling of the silts in certain areas, while the feeding grounds are oxygenated due to probing beaks in the mud. Their nest mounds can also be preserved and cemented as the lake's water levels change. These form irregularities in the lakeside topography. Trona , an evaporative mineral, used for sodium carbonate production, has been mined at Lake Magadi for nearly 100 years. It produces about 250,000 metric tonnes per year. Other precious minerals like rubies and pink sapphires have been found and mined from areas around Lake Baringo. In 2004, over 2 kilograms of Corundum were collected. Three shallow alkaline lakes and
832-406: The much larger Malewa are the main sources of water for Lake Naivasha. Both carry large amounts of sediment into the lake in the rainy seasons. One proposed solution had been to plant hedgerows of Vetiver grass across the delta area, which has been shown in other areas to be effective in trapping silt and also helps wetlands regenerate. The geologist J.W. Gregory discovered an old settlement on
864-588: The north to wintering places in Africa. The lands around the lakes include large populations of black rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, greater kudu, lion, cheetah and wild dogs. The Kenya lake system is surrounded by the steep escarpment of the Rift Valley, which provides a spectacular backdrop. Other lakes are Lake Chew Bahir , in the northeast extension. This lake lies mainly in Ethiopia but extends into Kenya in
896-545: The northern end of the rift, is 250 kilometres (160 mi) long, between 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) and 30 kilometres (19 mi) wide and is 125 metres (410 ft) at its greatest depth. Most of the other lakes are shallow and poorly drained, and therefore have become alkaline. They have waters that are rich in blue-green algae, which feed insect larvae, small crustaceans and lesser flamingos . The larvae and crustaceans are food for fish and greater flamingos . Massive flocks of these birds have been found to have an effect on
928-665: The rainy season. Lake Kamnarok is another small lake. Lake Natron Lake Natron is a salt or alkaline lake located in north Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region in Tanzania at the border with Kenya . It is in the Gregory Rift , which is the eastern branch of the East African Rift . The lake is within the Lake Natron Basin , a Ramsar Site wetland of international significance. It
960-444: The single large flock in East Africa, gather along nearby saline lakes to feed on Spirulina (a blue-green algae with red pigments). Lake Natron is a safe breeding location because its caustic environment is a barrier against predators trying to reach their nests on seasonally forming evaporite islands. Greater flamingoes also breed on the mud flats . The lake has inspired the nature documentary The Crimson Wing: Mystery of
992-422: The surrounding lands make up the Kenya lake system: Lake Bogoria at 10,700 hectares (26,000 acres), Lake Nakuru at 18,800 hectares (46,000 acres) and Lake Elmenteita at 2,534 hectares (6,260 acres). This system has one of the most diverse populations of birds in the world, and is the home of thirteen globally threatened species of bird. It is an important nesting and breeding site for great white pelicans , and
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1024-465: The west of Lake Baringo contain fossils preserved in lava flows from the period 14 to 4 million years ago. The relics of many hominids, ancestors of humans, have been found here. In March 2018, a giant crack in the Earth, measuring 50 feet deep and 65 feet across, opened in the ground just west of Nairobi . However, it is believed to be due to rain and erosion, and not of tectonic origin. The valley
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