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Summary: TECTONICS, VOL. 10, NO. 3, PAGES501-526,JUNE 1991
BLOCK ROTATION AND CONTINENTAL
EXTENSION IN AFAR: A COMPARISON
TO OCEANIC MICROPLATE SYSTEMS
GaryD. Acton· andSethStein
Departmentof GeologicalSciences,
NorthwesternUniversity,Evanston,Illinois
JosephF. Engeln
Departmentof Geology,Universityof Missouri,Columbia
Abstract. The reorganizationof oceanicspreadingcenters
separatingmajorplatesoftenappearsto occurby a process
in whichdiscretemicroplatesformandevolveby rift propa-
gation.To seewhethersuchmicroplatebehaviorhasimpli-
cationsfor continentalrifting,we investigatetheapplication
of a microplatemodel to the Afar regionat the Nubia-
Somalia-Arabiatriplejunction. Studiesof marinemagnetic
anomalies,volcanicages,bathymetry,andseismicitysuggest
that the westwardpropagatingGulf of Aden spreading
centerhaspropagatedinto easternAfar within the past2
m.y.,causingriftingandextensionwithinthecontinent.We
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