Chronology and geodynamic setting of Cretaceous-Cenozoic rifting in West and Central Africa

Abstract The development of the Early Cretaceous to Palaeogene West and Central African rift system, which extends from Nigeria (Benue trough) to Kenya (Anza trough), can be related to the build-up of intraplate tensional stresses during the break up of Gondwana, which caused reactivation of pre-existing zones of lithospheric weakness. Repeated changes in the intraplate stress regime of Africa are reflected by phases of crustal extension alternating with episodes of compression. Many of these events can be correlated with changes in rates of seafloor spreading in the Central and South Atlantic oceans, as reflected in flowline patterns. The West and Central African rifts can be considered as typical ‘passive’ rifts which evolved in response to the build-up of intraplate stresses. However, the St. Helena hot spot appears to have been located beneath the Equatorial plate boundary at approximately 120 Ma and may have played an important role in weakening the lithosphere during extension.

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