Never seen a picture of the great rift valley before.

[applegrove]

The Great Rift Valley in 🇰🇪 is a massive geological trench, part of a larger system stretching from the Middle East to Mozambique, formed by tectonic plates pulling apart.

— ContempraInn 🌹 (@contemprainn.bsky.social) 2026-06-19T17:26:58.570Z

[hlthe2b]

1. Amazing...

My only real context is Rift Valley Fever--a horrific viral disease spread by animals and ticks that causes a hemorrhagic fever and was first discovered there but seen elsewhere since.

Nice to see a photo of the actual region with its tribal people--sans any disease contexts.

[applegrove]

2. It is where they have found early, early hominids in

anthropology digs.

[hlthe2b]

3. Yup... It would be fascinating to visit.

[applegrove]

4. Decades ago the was a 'glamping' trip you could take

all along the East coast of Africa and stop at certain anthropology sites where you would be lectured to by a professor. I so wanted to do that. Support local communities too. They don't do that anymore.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Saw it in person about 6 years ago. It's impressive.

[Farmer-Rick]

6. Wow

Looks like the edge of the world....if there was such a thing, this would be it.

[JoseBalow]

7. The Gods Must Be Crazy

[Bev54]

8. That was my exact reaction as well.

Loved that movie.

[paleotn]

9. On the bucket list.

The Great Rift Valley. The Danakil Depression. Particularly the Erta Ale lava lake. Afar is a damn dangerous place though. Mores the pity since I'd love to see it. A picture of what eastern North America and west Africa looked like as they began to part ways 200 million years ago.

[applegrove]

11. Never heard of the lava lake. It does sound dangerous.

[paleotn]

14. The danger isn't just the vulcanism. The Afar region is politically unstable in the extreme.

A visit to the Danakil depression requires heavily armed guards and even then there's no guarantee of safety. The lava lake is one of the vents of the volcano Erta Ale. One of the most volcanically active places on earth. The Rift Valley itself is a pretty good analog for the giant rift that began ~200 million years ago splitting North America and Africa, creating the Atlantic Ocean. Almost like going back in time hundreds of millions of years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erta_Ale

[applegrove]

16. Yes they mentioned the political danger in that region

when I looked it up online.

[Martin68]

12. It is a very famous and significant geological feature. Not only because rift valleys are potential lakes and oceans,

but because the Great Rift Valley is the source of the most important ancient human fossils.

[LudwigPastorius]

13. Looks like AI to me.

[GiqueCee]

18. Enlighten us...

... what is the giveaway? I've been a graphics professional for 60+ years, and I've got a pretty keen eye for fakery, but I don't see it. I'm not trying to be a smartass, I genuinely want to know, what's the tell? I'm always ready to learn.

The cloudy dust at the bottom of the lefthand slope is a bit fuzzy. Is that what you're referring to?

[Marcuse]

15. !

[GiqueCee]

17. One cynical commenter on Bluesky...

... seemed convinced that the shot was generative AI. Why? That brief pan is consistent with other photos of the Valley that I've seen from similar vantage points, and why would anyone bother to mess with something that is already so magnificent to behold?
Undiagnosed Oppositional/Defiant Disorder, maybe?