The Somalia plate and the East African Rift System: present-day kinematics

Abstract

The motion of the Somalia plate relative to the Nubia (Africa), Arabia and Antarctica plates is re-evaluated using a new inversion method based on a Monte Carlo technique and a least absolute value misfit criterion. A subset of the NUVEL 1 data set, with additional data along the Levant Fault and in the Red Sea is used. The results confirm that the motion of Arabia with respect to Africa is significantly different from the motion relative to Somalia. It is further shown that the data along the SW Indian Ridge are compatible with a pole of relative motion between Africa and Somalia located close to the hypothetical diffuse triple junction between the ridge and the East African Rift. The resulting Africa-Somalia motion is then compatible with the geological structures and seismological data along the East African Rift system. Assuming a separate Somalia plate thus solves kinematic and geological problems around the Afar triple junction and along the East African Rift.