a breach or split between two bodies due to rising hot spot activity within the mantle Continuous activity thins the lithospheric plate, causes normal and reverse dip-slip faulting and eventually separates the plate
The splitting of a continent, a feature seen in the East African Rift Valley today Rifting often results in the generation of large volumes due to the effect of decompression of underlying rocks which are close to their melting temperatures
the splitting apart of the earth's crust when it is stretched by tectonic activity Results in the downfaulting of blocks of crust and creation of flat-floored valleys or troughs known as rift valleys (e g , Virginia's Triassic lowlands)