Prepared by AyanaTolassa

2017/2024
 Chapter Two
THE GEOLOGY OF ETHIOPIA AND THE
HORN
Chapter's Objectives
After completing this chapter, the
students will be able to:
 Analyze the geologic processes and the
resultant land forms of Ethiopia and the
Horn.
Examine the formation of the Rift
Valley.
Recognize the current status of
Ethiopian mineral endowment associated
with geologic processes
studies
the evolution of the earth
the materials of which it is made of,
and
the processes acting upon them.
Structure & composition of the
earth
 Events of the remote past when no
body was around to witness.
.
A great deal of geological understanding
must, therefore,
be obtained by inference,
using clues from what can be seen and
what can be measured.
Sources of clues, inferences and
measurements for geologists include
 geophysics (e.g. studying earthquake waves
which can penetrate deep beneath the
Earth‟s surface),
 geochemistry (analysis of the detailed
composition of rocks which can give clues
as to their origin) and
 geochronology (methods for finding the
ages of rocks, usually from the radioactive
elements they contain)
 .
The earth’s continents where once
bunched up together in to a single
huge continent called Pangaea
Pangaea :The large super
continent was then split into :
•Gondwanaland (where Africa
is a part) and
•Laurasia; and later into
smaller fragments over the
last million years
Continental drift theory.
Alfred Wegener (German
Climatologist) proposed the
hypothesis that argues the continents
were once assembled together, and
this theory is called the Continental
drift theory.
The continents were once the part
of a single landmass that broke up
Wegener’s principal evidences
 Fit of the continents:
Match of mountain belts
rock types:
Distribution of fossils:
Paleo-climates
2.2 The Geologic Processes: Endogenic
and Exogenic Forces
Geology studies of how
Earth’s materials,
structures,
processes and organisms have changed
over time.
These processes are divided into two
major groups:
internal and
 external processes.
•The internal processes (endogenic)
include
or genesis (mountain building
processes such as
volcanic activities and
tectonic processes (folding, faulting)
epeirogenesis (slow rising and sinking
of the landmass).
These processes result in building of
land features like :
•plateaus , rift valleys,
•The external (exogenic) processes include
weathering,
mass transfer,
erosion and deposition.
•They act upon the volcanic and structura
landforms by
modifying,
roughening and
 lowering them down. .
The landmass of Ethiopia, a
elsewhere, is the result of the
combined effect of :
 endogenic and
 exogenicprocesses
2.3 The GTS & Age Dating Techniques
 The geological history is divided in to Eras.
 Each Era is divided into periods.
 The Eras are given names that indicate the
kind of life that existed in them
 For instance, the
 Paleozoic Era (ancient life) is the age of
invertebrates,
 Mesozoic Era (the middle life) is the age of
reptiles
 Cenozoic Era (recent life) is the age of
mammals.
These geological time divisions basically
differ from each other in such
characteristics as
the relative position of land and sea,
 the kind of climate and
the kind of animal and plant life that
developed and existed during that Era
 Geological time is difficult to measure
precisely
The geological time scale measures
time on a scale involving four main
units which are known as:
 eon,
era,
period and
epoch from the largest to the
smallest chronologically.
An epoch is the smallest unit of
time on the scale.
The Earth is believed to have been
formed approximately
4.5 billion years ago
 the span of time before life appeared
was termed as the
Precambrian Era.
 To describe the geology and history of
life on Earth, scientists have developed
the
 geological time scale
Era Period Bega End (my) Major Events
n (in (million years ago)
Millio
n
Years
)
Cenozo Quater 1.6 Present Major glaciers in
ic nary North America and
Europe (1.5)
Tertiary 70 1.6 Rocky Mountains
(65), individual
continents take
shape.
Mesozo Cretace 146 70 Dinosaurs extinct
ic ous (65), western interior
seaway and marine
reptiles (144 – 65)
Jurassic 208 146 Pangaea (one land
Age Dating Techniques
There are two techniques of knowing the
age of rocks:
Relative and
absolute age dating.
Relative Dating
uses geological evidence to assign of
comparative ages fossils.
1. one way is to look at any fossils the
rock may contain.
If any of the fossils are unique
to one of the geologic time
periods, then the rock was
formed during that particular
time period.
2. The second way is to use the
“What is on top of the older
rocks?”
younger rocks are on top of
[Link] Dating /radiometric
technique
 This technique was developed with
discovery of radioactivity in 1896.
Radioactive elements such as
 uranium (U) and
 thorium (Th) decay naturally to
form different elements or isotopes
of the same element.
2.4. Geological Processes and the
Resulting Landforms of Ethiopia and the
Horn Activity
2.4.1. The Pr Era Geo P (4.5 - 600 million
years ago)
•The Pr Era covers 5/6th of the Earth’s
history.
• Due to its
• remoteness in time
•and the absence of well-preserved
fossils, our knowledge of the events is
Nevertheless, some general description
of the main geologic processes can be
made.
The major geologic event of the
Precambrian Era was : Orogenesis
the land was subjected to intense
folding which was accompanied by
intrusive igneous activity.
The result was the formation of huge
mountain ranges.
 Geological Processes and the Resulting
2.4.
Landforms
2.4.1. The Precambrian Era (4.5 bY –
600 MY)
•It covers 5/6th of the Earth’s history.
•Due to its
 remoteness in time
 absence of well-preserved fossils,
our knowledge of the events is
limited.
The major geologic event of the
Precambrian Era was :
Orogenesis
. the formation of huge
mountain ranges
Formation of basement
rocks(crystalline rocks)
Metamorphism
They cover(surface rocks ) 25% of the
land mass of the country
they are found exposed to the surface
in
In the northern part:
 Western lowlands
parts of northern and central Tigray.
In the western Part:
Gambella,
 Benishangul-Gumuz
 Metekel and
western Gojjam,
western Wellega,
Illuababora, and
 Abay gorge.
In the southern Part:
Guji,
southern Omo,
and parts of southern Bale and
Borena.
In the eastern part:
Eastern Hararghe .
2.4.2The Paleozoic Era (600 – 225 million
years ago)
lasted for about 375 million years.
The major geological process of this Era
was denudation.
 intense and prolonged denudation
The gigantic mountains of the
Precambrian orogeny were subjected to
intense and prolonged denudation and
reduced to a “peneplained” surface.
Undulating plain with some residual
features (inselbergs) here and there was
formed.
The sediments were transported
southward and eastward to form continental
(in Africa) and marine deposits,
respectively.
Because of the limited deposition within
Ethiopia, rocks belonging to this Era are
rare in the country
2.4.3 THE MESOZOIC ERA
GEOLOGIC PROCESSES (225-70
MILLION YEARS AGO)
An Era of epeirogenesis ( alternate slows
sinking and rising ).
This process affected the whole present-
day Horn of Africa and Arabian landmass.
At the same time the land was tilted
eastward and
Therefore lower in the southeast and higher
in the northwest
2.4.3 The Mesozoic Era Geologic
Processes (225-70 million years ago)
 M.E was an Era Of epeirogenesis
(alternate slows sinking and rising) of the
landmass.
 It affected the whole present-day
[Link] and Arabian landmass.
The land was tilted eastward
 therefore lower = southeast
higher = northwest
Late Triassic(225 million years ago.)
The subsidence of the land began
the land sank slowly the sea invaded HA
The sea invasion starting from
 Somalia and Ogaden and
 slowly spreading northwestward.
This phenomenon continued up to
Jurassic period.
sands were deposited over the
peneplained Precambrian rock surface.
As the depth of the sea increased,
 mud (shale),
 gypsum and later lime were deposited.
Mesozoic rocks are considered to have
the greatest potential for oil and gas
deposits.
Through time, the sands and lime were
compacted to form
 sandstone and
 limestone layers respectively.
They are named after place
names in Tigray where they might
have been first identified
Upper Jurassic
slow rise of the land in the HA&and Et
consequently the regression (retreat) of
the sea began.
With the retreat of the sea, another
process of deposition occurred.
Gypsum,
shale and at last
 sands were laid over the H L.
The uppermost layer is known as the
By the end of the Mesozoic Era,
land emerged out of the sea
 three major SR formations were
laid and formed upon the PR surface.
The MSR rocks cover 25% of the
land mass of the Ethiopia.
 Due to the tilting of the landmass
during the T &RS, and due to the DI&
RS, the age and thickness of the
Sandstone layers vary in a SE – NW
The AS is older and thicker
in the SE and progressively
decreases in age and thickness
NW ward.
The US is thicker and
younger in the SE, while in
the NW it is older and thinner.
The transgressing sea and Mesozoic
sediments nearly covered the whole of
Ethiopia.
The Mesozoic rocks are overlaid by the
Cenozoic rocks in:
The NW limit was as far as central
Tigray, and
western slopes of Western highlands.
 In most parts of Ethiopia,
As surface rocks, these old
marine sediments are extensively
found in the Southeast lowlands.
Other exposures include
central Tigray, and
along the gorges of Abay and
Wabishebelle rivers
2.4.4. The Cenozoic Era GP
(70MYs ago – Present)
The CE = recent of the GEr.
An era of tectonic and volcanic
activities
They had an important effect in
the making of the present-day
landmass of E & H. Africa.
The major geologic events and
activities are:
1. Uplifting of the Arabo-Ethiopian
landmass and
outpouring of huge quantity of lava.
Formation of the [Link].
Q. volcanism and deposition.
Uplifting of the Arabo-Ethiopian
landmass and outpouring of lava flood
Uplifting Arabo-Ethiopian
Landmass(AEL)
The uplifting of the whole of the
A.E.L is a continuation of the slow rise
that began in
the Upper Jurassic and
 Cretaceous periods
Where the uplifting was of greater
magnitude, the land was pushed up to a
maximum height of 2,000 meters a.m.s.l
This uplifting was of an epeirogenic
character.
 The whole of the [Link] was pushed
up in blocks as one mass.
The greatest uplift was in central Eth.
Out pouring the flood of basalt
Huge quantity of lava came out through
fractures.
The out pouring of this flood of basalt
spread widely and extensively
It covered a large part of the Mesozoic
sedimentary layer
It formed the Ethiopian plateau surface
and
 the floor of the present-day Rift Valley.
At that time the Rift Valley was not yet
formed.
The mass of lava (immense) that it
formed a thick layer of volcanic rocks on
the plateau, was amounted to be more
than 1,000 meters a.m.l in the [Link].
This volcanic material is known as
Trappean lava or Trapean Series lava.
The Formation of the Rift Valley
The formation of the Rift Valley s6
 Its formation was related with the
theory of plate tectonics
 It is lying on the Earth’s crust below
which lateral movement of the crust in
opposite directions producing tensional
forces
It is an extensive structural depression.
Formed when tensional forces caused
parallel fractures or
The major faulting movement
probably began in the late Oligocene
Oligocene and Miocene Epochs
It rifted the Red Sea trough, which
began to be flooded from the north
The major rifting took place in the
Miocene Epoch
It affected the whole African Rift
System,( Ethiopia and the Gulf of Aden)
Pliocene and Pleistocene Epochs.
Rifting and faulting continued
The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
were connected as a result of :
the rifting and faulting of the land
bridge that separated them.
 the Afar depression ( Gulf of Zula)
was down-faulted (Pliocene)
 allowing the Red Sea water to
penetrate far inside
Red Sea water which penetrate fa
inside.
accumulated thick saline
materials.
During the same period, the area
between the Danakil Depression an
the Red Sea was uplifted to form:
 the Afar Block Mountains
The Spatial Extent of the Rift Valley
The ERV is part of the GEAR system
It extends from Palestine-Jordan in the
N to Malawi-Mozambique in the S
 It has a distance of about7,200kms.
It is 5,600 kilometers is in Africa
 It is 1,700 kms in Eritrea & Ethiopia.
Its widest part is the in Afar Triangle
(200-300 km).
The RS, the G A, & the East
African System meet and
 form Afar triangle where the
Kobar Sink lies about 125 meters
below sea level.
During the Tertiary period.
 The formation of the G. Aden and
the separation of the A. Peninsula
from the Horn of Africa .
The Rift Valley region of
Ethiopian is the most unstable
part of the country b/se it has:
numerous hot springs
fumorales,
active volcanoes,
geysers, and
frequent earthquakes
The formation of the RVhas the
following structural (physiographic)
effects:
1. It divides the Ethiopian Plateau into two.
2. It sep the Arabian lM from African LM.
3. It causes the formation of the
 Dead Sea,
 Red Sea &
the Gulf of Aden troughs.
3. It creates basins and fault depressions on
3. Quaternary Volcanic Eruptions and
Depositions.
They include:
 recent volcanic activities that took
place after the formation of the R V.
Occurred in the Pliocene-Pleistocene
Epochs.
This activity was generally limited to:
the floor of the Rift Valley and
the region south of [Link], where the
lava covers an area of >3,000 km .
 Aden is an Icelandic-type shield
volcano, formed by repeated
eruptions of very fluid olivine
basalt.
 This has built a very low hill 3–4
miles (4.8–6.4 km) in diameter
with slopes of just 3 to 5 degrees.
Aden volcanics and recent faulting
are more extensively developed in the
Afar region.
Recent faulting is also widely
manifested
 in the main Ethiopian Rift,
especially in its northern section.
the Aden volcanics have relatively
well-preserved and
visible morphological features.
Because of their recent occurrence
 The basic volcanic features of the Aden series include the
following:

volcanic cones (explosive Volcanic hills & mts,

craters): some of which are:
active Dubi semi-dormant
 Fantale,
Erta Ale,
 Boseti-Gouda near
Afreraetc. Adama,
Erta Ale( is the  Aletu north of Lake
most active volcano Ziway,
 Chebbi North of
in Ethiopia)
[Link] etc.
Quaternary Deposition
the Earth experienced a marked
climatic change
the warmer and dry periods were
alternating with cooler and wet periods.
This was the time of :
the last “Ice Age” in the middle & high
latitude areas
 the “Pluvial Rains” in Africa
The heavy Pluvial Rains
Eroded the Ethiopian plateau
 The eroded materials were
deposited in the RVL
 It resulted in an excessive surface
flow; as a result:
Rivers became
 many and large.
 They carried a lot of water and
sediments.
Lake and marshy areas became
 numerous and deep.
Many were enlarged and
covered much area and
even merged together.
Foxample,::
Ziway-Langano-Shalla;
Hawasa-Shallo;
 Chamo-Abaya; and
 Lake Abe and nearby smaller lakes
 warmer and drier Period.
Happened after pluvial period.
 the rate of evaporation Increased
diminished the sizes of the lakes.
Resulted in lacustrine deposits of
continental origin around many of the
 Ethiopian lakes,
 river valleys and
 lowlands.
•According to :
 the place & manner of deposition &
S/ Types of Deposits Place of Depositions
N
1 Lac ustrine Deposits on former
deposits:  lakebeds, and
 Swampy
depressions.
2 Fluvial deposits Deposits on :
 banks of rivers,
 flood plains
 both in plateau,
foothills etc
3 Glacio-fluvial [Link] on high
deposits and mountains, such as
erosional Bale and Kaka
features Mountains.

4 Aeolian deposits windblown deposits

5 Coastal and Deposits on sea
marine invaded and sea-
deposits: covered places.
6 The quaternary [Link] found in
deposits  the R.V (Afar and
[Link]),
 Baro LL,
 Southern Borena, &
parts of NWLL low
lands.
These include
 the Cenozoic rocks cover 50% of the
land mass of the country.
They include:
Highland Tertiary volcanics (basalts),
Tertiary as well as Quaternary volcanics,
and sediments of the rift valley
2.5. Rock & Mineral Resources of Eth.
Metallic minerals in
Ethiopia occurred in association with
the Precambrian rocks(basement rocks).

not in sufficient concentration and

extent
These rocks contain most of the metallic
deposits known at present.
The exploitation and search for mineral
deposits in Ethiopia has been taking
Gold:
Gold has been mined in Ethiopia for
quite long time, mainly from
Benishangul-Gumuz (Metekel) and
Adola.
 Operating mines produce gold
from primary sources in such
localities as
•Dermi-dama,
•Sakoro and Lega-dembi.
Mechanised alluvial working is confined to the
state-operated gold field of Adola.
Secondary gold deposits are common in the
following localities:
Adola, Murmur Basin, Shakiso, Awata Basin,
Dawa Basin, Ghenale Basin, UjamaBasin,
Makanisa (Guba and Wombera), Kaffa.
In Gambella and Illuababora (Akobo River),
in Sidama (Wondo),
Borena (Negele-Yabelo area), B-Gumuz (Sherkole),
west Wellega,
Mengi-Tumat-Shangul areas
to the Sudanese border, and the drainage of
the Didessa and Birbir
Platinum:
The only active Ethiopian Platinum
mine is found in Wellega (Yubdo.
Platinum occurrences h’ve been reported
from:
 Delatti in Wellega,
The valley of Demi-Denissa and
 Bone Rivers and
Tullu Mountain area in Sidama.
Significant deposit of tantalum&niobium
is found in southern Ethiopia.
It occurs in Adola area Kenticha
Tantalum mine > 17,000 metric tons of
world class ore reserve is found.
 The sedimentary and
 volcanic rock activities are also
resourceful.
 Extensive lignite deposits in Ethiopia
are found in
Extensive lignite deposits in
Ethiopia are found in
 Nedjo (Wellega), and
 in Chilga (Gonder) in small
amounts are found in the
sedimentary formations laid
in between Trapean lava.
•Lignite, one of the lowest ranked coal, is
known to occur in many localities such as in
the
Beressa Valley
&Ankober([Link]) ,Sululta (nearA A)
Muger Valley (W. Shewa),
Aletu valley (near Nedjo)
Kariso & Selmi Valleys (Debrelibanos)
Zegawodem gorge (near Fiche)
Didessa Valley (southwest of Nekemte)
Kindo and Challe Valley (Omo confluence)
Adola,Wuchalle (north of Dessie)
Gemstones:
Gemstones, including :
amethyst, aquamarine,
emerald, garnet, opal,
peridot, sapphire, and
tourmaline
They occure in many parts of
Ethiopia, mainly in
Amhara and
Oromia Regional States.
Quality Opal was first discovered
by local people in
Wadla and Dalanta woredas, North
Wello in Amhara Regional State
2.5.2. Mineral Potential Sites of Ethiopia
According to the Ethiopian geological
survey,
Three major greenstone belts .Include:
The Wn & SWn-greenstone belt: They
contain various minerals:
primary gold occurrences
•(Dul,Tulu-Kape, Oda-Godere,
•Akobo, Baruda
•Bekuji-Motish and Kalaj);
•Yubdo Platinum,
Base metals of
•AzaliAkendeyu,
•Abetselo and Kata;
•FakushuMolybdenite
 iron deposits of
• Bikilal,
•Chago,
•Gordana and Korre,
• Benshagul-Gumuz-
Marble,
•Akobo and
•Asosa placer gold deposits and etc.
•The Southern greenstone belt( Adola
belt),
 primary gold deposits and occurrences
of
 Lega-dembi,
Sakaro,
Wellena,
Kumudu,
Megado-Serdo,
DawaDigati,
Moyale and Ababa
The Northern greenstone belt(Tigray):
This belt comprises of
the primary gold occurrences of
Terakemti,
Adi-Zeresenay, and
Nirague.
The base metals of
Terer,
Tsehafiemba and other parts of
Tigray,
Placer gold occurrences of Tigray
 CHAPTER THREE –

THE TOPOGRAPHY OF ETHIOPIA AND THE HORN

3.1. Introduction
3.2. The Physiographic Divisions of
Ethiopia
3.2.1. The Western Highlands
and Lowlands
3.2.2. The Southeastern
Highlands and Lowlands
3.2.3. The Rift Valley
Chapter's Objectives: At the end of this
chapter, the learners will be able to:
•Describe the topography of Eth&
the Horn.
• Identify the physiographic
divisions of Eth
•Elucidate the physiographic
characteristics of the Rift Valley.
3.1. General Characteristics of the
Ethiopian Physiography
The Ethiopian landform is characterized
by great diversity. There are :
 flat-topped plateaus,
 highland rugged mountains,
 deep river gorges
 and vast plains.
Altitude ranges 125m.b.s.l (Kobar
Sink)- 4,620m.a.s.l (Mt R .Dashen),which
is the fourth highest mountain in Africa.
More than 50% of the Ethiopian
landmass is above 1,000 meters of
elevation; and
above 1,500 meters makes 44% of the
country. Half of this, in turn, is at more than
2,000 meters above sea level.
.
 Ethiopia Is Water Tower of East
Africa”

Most of the country’s high plateau

and mountain ranges are sources
of many rivers and streams
 this made the country to be
described as the “Water Tower of East
Africa .
1,000m is taken as the demarcation
Characteristics of Ethiopian
highlands:
Moderate and high amount of
RF (>600 mm per year).
LMAT (<20°C).
 favorable climate for biotic life.
Rain-fed agriculture is possible.
Free from tropical diseases.
These highlands & lowlands make up
nearly 56% of 44% of the Ethiopian .
Lowlands characterized by:
Fewer amounts of RF and higher
T.
High prevalence of tropical
diseases.
Lower population densities.
Nomadic& semi-nomadic economic
life.
Vast plain lands favorable for
3.2. The Physiographic Divisions of
Ethiopia
Three major physiographic units can be
identified in Ethiopia. These are:
The WH and LL
The SEH& LL
The Rift Valley
3.2.1. The Western Highlands and
Lowlands
 includes all the area west of the RV
It extends from north to south
It encompasses nearly the whole
western half of Ethiopia.
It makes up about 44% TA of Ethiopia
In the east the western escarpment of
the Rift Valley bound it
•.
westward, the land gradually
descends in altitude until it merges
into the western foothills and
lowlands, along the Sudan and
South Sudan border
This region is further subdivided
into:
four groups of highlands(76.3%)&
four groups of lowlands (23.7%).
The Western Highlands
The Tigray Plateau
•It extends from the Tekeze gorge in the
south to central Eritrean highlands.
•The Tigray plateau is separated from the
Eritrean plateau by the Mereb River.
•It lies to the southeast of the upper
course of the Mereb/Gash River and to
the northeast of Tekeze River Gorge.
It constitutes about 13% of the area of
the region.
 It is an elongated highland with
altitude B/n1,000 and 2,000m.a.m.s.l.
The high mountains in this plateau with
elevations of over 3000 meters include:
Mount Tsibet (3988 m.a.s.l),
Mount Ambalage (3291 m.a.s.l)
Mount Assimba (3248m.a.s.l).
The famous monastery at Debre-
Damo, a tableland that can only be
[Link] Central Massifs
It is the largest in the western highlands.
•its northern and southern limit follows the
Abay and Tekeze gorges.
•In its central part it accommodates the Lake
Tana basin.
• 58% of the region is at an altitude of >
2,000ms
•the second highest physiographic division
next to the Shewan Plateau, .
•The region consists of the Gonder, Wello and
Gojjam Massifs.
Out of the 26 mountain peaks with
altitude of more than 4,000m.a.s.l in
Ethiopia, 19 mountain peaks are found
in this physiographic region
Among these, the most popular ones
include
MtR. Dashen (4,620 m.a.s.l) Mt
Weynobar/Ancua (4462 m.a.s.l),
Mount KidisYared (4453 m.a.s.l)
Mount Bwahit (4437 m.a.s.l)
in the Simen Mountain System.
  Out of the 26 mountain peaks with altitude of more than
Mt peaks 4,000m.a.s.l in Ethiopia, 19 mountain peaks are found in this
physiographic region

The  Among these, the most popular ones include

major mt • MtR. Dashen (4,620 m.a.s.l) Mt
peaks in • Weynobar/Ancua (4462 m.a.s.l),
• Mount KidisYared (4453 m.a.s.l)
the north • Mount Bwahit (4437 m.a.s.l)
central • in the Simen Mountain System.
massifs  Mount Guna (4,231m.a.s.l)
• in the Debre Tabour Mountain System,
 Abune Yoseph (4,260 m.a.s.l)
• in the Lasta highlands of Wello and Mount Birhan
(4,154 m.a.s.l)
• in the Choke Mountain System in Gojjam.
The Shewa Plateau (Central Highlands)
It is bounded by the
 RV in the E and SE
 Abay gorge in its Nn and Wn limit, &
the Omo gorge in the S and W.
It occupies a central geographical
position in Ethiopia.
It accounts 11% of the area of the
whole physiographic region,
It is the smallest of the Western
•Nearly ¾ of its area is at an altitude of >
2,000 m. a.s.l
•It has the largest proportion of elevated
ground.
•It is drained, outward in all directions
by the tributaries of:
•Abay, Omo, and Awash.
The highest mountains includes
Mt Abuye-Meda (4,000 m.a.s.l) in Nn
Shewa and
Mt Guraghe in the south is 3,721
The Southwestern Highlands
This Physiographic subdivision consists
of the highlands of
Wellega, Illuababor,
Jimma, Kaffa,
Gamo and Gofa.
This region is separated from the
adjacent highlands by:
•the Abay and
•the Omo river valleys.
 It extends from the
Abay gorge in the north
to the Kenya border & Chew Bahir in
the south.
•It accounts for 22.7% of the area of the
region.
•The region is the 2nd largest in the Wn
highlands.
•About 70% of its area is lies within
1,000-2,000 meters altitude.
•This plateau is the wettest in Ethiopia.
 This plateau is the wettest in Ethiopia.
 It is drained by
Dabus, Deddessa ([Link]),
Baro,
Akobo and
the Ghibe/Omo rivers.
 Guge Mt(4,200 m.a.s.l)
is the highest peak in this physiographic
subdivision
The Western Lowlands
These are:
 the western foothills and
 border plains that
 They extend from :
Western Tigray in the north to
Southern Gamo-Gofa in the South.
They make 11% of the area of the phy.R .
The general elevation ranges B/n 500 &
1000 m.a.s.l.
It is subdivided into [Link] are :
BTekeze LL, Abay-Dinder LL
Baro LL& Ghibe LL.
Except the Baro LL, the region is
generally characterized:
 by arid or semi-arid conditions.
Pastoral or
semi-pastoral economic activities.
As one moves northwards, the degree of
aridity increases, making rain-fed
agriculture more difficult.
The Baro lowland
 has an extensive flat area
suitable for mechanized agriculture.
The Ghibe/Omo lowland: includes
the lower Ghibe/Omo Valley and
 the northern section of the Turkana
basin,
is classified in the Western lowlands
from its geographical location.
But structurally it also belongs to the
Rift Valley.
In the Western lowlands, there are small
but important towns such as
Humera,
Metema,
Omedla,
Kurmuk,
Gambella etc.
 3.2.2. The South-Eastern Highlands
and Lowlands
•the 2nd largest in terms of area.
•It accounts for 37% of the area of
thio.
•The highlands make up 46% of the
pd
•In the west & north, the eastern
escarpment of the RV makes the Wn
and Nn limit.
 •The land gradually descends
southeastward into the southeastern
lowlands and then to the plains of
Somalia.
The Southeastern Highlands
The Arsi-Bale-Sidama Highlands
These highlands are
found to the east of the Lakes Region.
They are located in the south western
section of the physiographic region.
).
The Arsi Highlands
•are made up of :
flat rolling uplands and
dissected mountains.
The well-known mountains in this
area are
•Mount Kaka (4,180 m.a.s.l),
•Mount Bada (4,139 m.a.s.l) and
•Mount Chilalo (4,036 m.a.s.l
The Bale highlands
separated from the Arsi HL bythe
head &
 main stream of Wabishebelle.
They consist of
a platform looking basaltic plateau in
the north-central part and
high mountain massif to the south.
 The highest mountain peaks in this
region are
•Tulu-Demtu (4,377 m.a.s.l) and
The Arsi-Bale Highlands
important grain producing areas
with high potential.
The Sidama HLs are separated
from the Bale HLs by the Ghenale
RVa
They occupy the southWrn corner of
this region.
The prominent feature here is the
Jemjem plateau,
this physiographic regions are
dissected by
Wabishebelle and Ghenale
 along with their tributaries .
Specially, Weyb River,
tributary of Ghenale, has cut an
underground passage (Sof Omar
cave).
 The cave is found near Bale
Mountains. It is one of the World’s
most spectacular and extensive
The Hararghe Plateau
This plateau is a north-easterly extension
of the south-eastern highlands.
It extends from the Chercher highlands
in the south-west to Jigjiga in the east.
It has the smallest proportion of upper
highland (>2,000 meters).
The highest mountain here is
Mount Gara-Muleta (3,381 m.a.s.l).
The Southeastern Lowlands
•The SELLare located in the SEn part of
the country.
• They are the most extensive LLs in Eth.
•They make up
 54% of the area of the PR &
 around 1/5 of the country.
•This region is divided into
Wabishebelle plain (60%) and the
Ghenale Plain (40%).
.
They include the plains of
Ogaden, Elkere, and
Borena
They are sparsely inhabited by
 pastoral and
semi-pastoral communities.
The economic potential includes :
animal husbandry, irrigation,
agriculture and
perhaps exploitation of petroleum and
natural gas.
3.2.3. The Rift Valley
It is a tectonically formed structural
dep.
It is bounded by two major and more or
less parallel escarpments.
Its formation has separated the
Ethiopian HLs and LLs in to two.
It extends from the [Link] in the
north to C. Bahir for about 1,700 km2.
It covers 18% of the area of Ethiopia.
Altitude :
125 m.b.m.s.l at Dallol depression
to as high as 2,000 m.a.m.s.l in the Lakes region
Because of its altitudinal variation and positional
differences,
the climate a varies from
warm,
 hot and
 dry to cool and
moderately moist conditions.
Similarly, the social & economic life reflects this
pattern.
There are places,
 which are desolate & sparsely inhabited by pastoralists
where as in others parts people practice some rain-fed
agriculture
The Rift Valley is further subdivided into
three physiographic sub-regions.
These are
the AfarTriangle,
the Main Ethiopian Rift, and
the Chew Bahir Rift
The Afar Triangle
It is the largest & widest part of the RV
 It makes up 54% of the RV area.
 altitude (300-700 meters).
Its elevation drops uniformly from
approximately 1,000m in the southwest
to below sea level in the north (Danakil
depression) and in the east, where the
shores of Lake Asal, fluctuating at
around 125mbelow sea level, represent
the lowest sub aerial point of the African
It hosts one of the most hostile
environments on Earth
MT can exceed 50°C) during the
summer wet season.
The area is characterized by
 faulted depressions (grabens),
volcanic hills,
active volcanoes,
volcanic ridges,
lava fields and low lava platforms
Lakes (Abe, Asale, and Afrera) occupy
some of these basins.
A prominent feature in this region is
the Denakil Depression (Kobar Sink).
The economic importance of this
region includes
salt extraction,
irrigation along the Awash River and
electric potential from geothermal
energy.
The Main Ethiopian Rift (Central Rift)
It refers to the narrow belt of the RV
It extends from AwashR in the N to L
Chamo in the south.
It is bounded by the western and eastern
escarpments.
•With the exception of the Arbaminch
area, the bounding escarpments are
generally low.
•It has an average width of 50-80
kilometers
•has general elevation of
1,000-2,000 m. a. s. l.
The major mountains include
Mount Fentale,
Boseti-Guda (near Adama),
Aletu (north of Lake Ziway)
Chebi(north of Lake Hawasa).
Because of its altitude, this region is
generally
milder and watery.
The Chew Bahir Rift
It is the southern-most part of the RV
It isthe smallest part of the RV
It is separated from the MainEthiopian
Rift to the north by:
Gneissic highlands of Konso and
 the surrounding highlands
•The characteristic feature the area
•the broad and shallow depression( a
marshy area covered by tall grass) into
which the Segen and Woito streams
The Impacts of Relief on Biophysical and
Socioeconomic Conditions
They can be summarized by the
following:
•Agricultural practices
•Relief influences farm size, shape, crop
production and animal husbandry.
•Settlement pattern
•The highlands are characterized by
sedentary life while lowlands are
inhabited by pastoralists.
The difficult terrain and rugged
topography makes
infrastructure development and
maintenance costly.
rivers less navigable due to the
waterfalls.
Altitude coupled with high rainfall
created suitable conditions for
hydroelectric power.
Socio-cultural feeling
Impacts on climate
Impacts on soil.
Impacts on natural vegetation